


The Court of Roses

by Jevil_Joss



Series: The Saga of House Rose [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, Referenced Child Abuse, Vampires, Weiss needs a hug, dark fantasy AU, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 47
Words: 54,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24312349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevil_Joss/pseuds/Jevil_Joss
Summary: Weiss Schnee was thrown out of her village for having been turned into a vampire. The problem? The local vampires have no idea who she is.
Relationships: Raven Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long(mentioned), Summer Rose/Taiyang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long
Series: The Saga of House Rose [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047832
Comments: 104
Kudos: 98





	1. The Dark Child

_What did I do to deserve this?_

Weiss's head ached. She was part carried, more dragged across rough cobblestones. The angry shouts and chants of the villagers had long since stopped sounding like words. The moon was high--you couldn't exactly deal with vampires during the day. 

_But I'm not a vampire,_ Weiss thought. She didn't feel like a vampire, and, despite what her father said, had had no dealings with the local ones. 

While most people were paranoid about the creatures, that didn't make them any less powerful. After years of warfare, the truce signed let the vampires live in peace as long as they didn't bother anyone. Which suited the vampires just fine. Weiss lifted her head, looking up at the ominous black tower made of obsidian bricks. The giant emblem of a rose was on the front of it, and curiously enough, it had multiple windows. 

What would House Rose do with her, though? She wasn't a vampire. There was no way they would treat her kindly. Or, worse, they wouldn't even take her in. The people of her village might just kill her then and there. 

_And what if they do take me in?_

The only way that would happen was if she'd been turned into a vampire. In which case she might as well throw herself off the tower. 

_Boom. Boom. Boom._ The head of the mob, the chief guard of her village, banged on the giant double doors to House Rose. Shouts of, "Send the monster back to the darkness!" and, "Give to Satan what is the Devil's!" rang up from the crowd as the door slowly opened. 

A slight of build figure half-peaked out the door. She had black hair with a few streaks of red. A white cloak wrapped around her, and two silver eyes silenced the crowd with their piercing stare. The eyes looked right at Weiss, paused, and then up to the chief guard. 

Port, confident as ever, didn't flinch. 

"What is this about?" the vampire asked. Quietly, coldly, yet everyone heard her voice. Her skin was pale white, and as she spoke, Weiss caught sight of two long fangs. 

"You sinner! You devil! You fiend!" Port shouted, pointing a finger in the vampire's face. She simply raised an eyebrow at him--it was clear to everyone but the chief guard that while she was wary, she had absolutely no fear of him. "You have come into our village and cursed the heiress to our noble house! You have brought Satan into our homes!" 

"What?" The vampire cocked her head, confused. "I don't know what you're--"

"You _will_ take this child which you cursed!" Port cried, waving a cross at her. The vampire grabbed the cross, yanked it from the guard's grasp, and hurled it away. The small, wooden object sailed far above the trees, and a group of birds flew off into the sky when it landed. 

The vampire sniffed her hand. "Ew, did you slather it in garlic?" While she sounded disgusted, her hand did not burn--from the holy cross or the stinging garlic. There was a stunned silence as the vampire pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off her hand. "Didn't I tell you last time you were here that crosses aren't weapons? And the only thing garlic does to me is give me indigestion." She pocketed the handkerchief, grimacing. "Blech. Now what are you going on about?"

Regaining his composure, Port pointed his finger in her face for a split second before the vampire lifted up her lip and snarled. Port took a step back, then spoke. "You turned the heiress of the Schnee family into a vampire! Your attacks on that family will stop now! You will take this child you cursed--"

"So, in other words," the vampire began, stepping fully out of the house. Her cloak went all the way to the ground. She wore a black dress and blouse, and all things considered, was rather pretty. "You came out all this way, grabbed weapons that wouldn't work, interrupted me preparing my dinner, all to bother me with a made-up problem?"

"It's not a made-up--"

"I told you the last time you blamed me for one of the Schnee's disappearing," the vampire growled. "I neither know nor care who they are. My family has had nothing to do with their's. _Nothing._ Now, LEAVE!"

Her voice suddenly boomed, echoing around the forest, snuffing out the torches carried by the villagers. Even the unyielding Port stumbled and fell off his feet, scurrying away as fast as possible. Weiss was dropped to the ground, and covered her face, curling into a ball to avoid getting stepped on. 

The vampire lifted her lip, snarling at the retreating villages. She looked down at Weiss, and her eyes softened. She glided away from her door, her feet almost seeming not to even touch the ground, and she went down on one knee. She gently touched Weiss's face. "Now, now," she muttered. "Talk about Godly deeds, then do this to a child. Lord Above, forgive their idiocy." She met Weiss's eyes, then said calmly, "Can you walk?"

Weiss stared a moment, then nodded. "Probably," she answered. 

The vampire seemed to relax. "Then come on in. I guess." She awkwardly rubbed her hair. "Schnee, right?"

"Weiss Schnee," Weiss squeaked. 

"Weiss. Ah." The vampire rose, extending a hand. "Th'name's Summer. Summer Rose of House Rose. Nice to meet you, though I do wish it had been under better circumstances."

Weiss paused a moment, then took the extended hand. She gingerly rose to her feet to find that Summer had already went inside. Weiss paused, unsure of what to do, but then followed her. 

This certainly hadn't been a consideration for how this night would end. 


	2. House Rose

The house opened immediately into a circular room. The flooring and walls were red, and in the center of the room were four plush chairs centered around a table. The walls were lined with portraits, and the opposite wall had a spiral staircase leading to the higher floors. 

_Is that...tea?_

Weiss looked over at a yellow-haired vampire standing in front of a stove, brewing a pot of tea. Like Summer, he had a lighter skin tone. His back was to her, and he wore brown shirt and pants with shoulder pads. His right hand was covered in strange, almost rune-like tattoos. "I could have dealt with that, you know," he stated calmly. 

Summer stepped over and immediately collapsed onto a chair with a loud groan. "I know," she sighed. 

"But since you did, I decided to make tea," the other vampire replied with a chuckle. "What was that about, though? Did we blight their crops again?"

"...not their crops, no."

"Well? What is it? Are you just gonna leave me guessing?"

"Tai, turn around. Please."

Tai turned, and almost dropped the tray of tea cups. Weiss awkwardly waved. 

"Holy shhhhhh..." Tai clamped his mouth shut. "Um. Hi. I'm Taiyang Xiao Long. Nice to meet you...?"

"Weiss Schnee," Weiss introduced herself quietly. 

"Please, take a seat," Summer said, waving her over. 

"You want tea?" Taiyang asked. "I made a lot--more than I felt like I needed, but hey. Here we are." He shrugged, then winced as he almost dropped the tray. 

"I'd appreciate a cup," Weiss said, sitting down on one of the chairs. It felt like one of the chairs from home, except...thicker. It wasn't the kind of chair you sank in, but it was still soft. Taiyang set a cup in front of her--the table, which at first had appeared to be painted wood, was actually red glass. The cup had a nice puff of steam coming out of it. Weiss nodded her thanks and then gingerly took the cup. Or tried to, as it turned out she had a massive scrape on her palm. 

_Actually, I hurt all over..._ She was beginning to suspect that more than just her face was bruised. 

"Let me get something for that, and then I can listen to what actually happened," Taiyang said. He walked over to the stove, and over it, opening a cupboard. Weiss noted lots of glasses of what she could only guess were blood before Taiyang closed it and opened up a different cabinet. He pulled out a first aid kit, and strode over to Weiss. He looked her up and down, examining the cuts and bruises that covered her body. 

Taiyang took her right hand, looking at the scrape on the palm, grimacing. "Most of this looks fine," he said slowly, "but this one in particular needs to be washed."

"I'll have Ruby set up a bath," Summer said. She got up and began walking before she stumbled a bit. She caught herself on one of the chairs, then caught the walking cane that Taiyang threw to her. With a sigh, she went up the steps. Were it not for the tapping of the cane, Weiss wouldn't have known that Summer's feet were actually touching the ground. 

"I'm sure we both have lots of questions," Taiyang said, drawing Weiss's attention again. "Let's do our best to answer them for each other, kay?" When Weiss nodded, he said, "What questions do you have nagging at you?"

Weiss bit her lip. "Am I...a vampire now? Did you...turn me into one?"

Taiyang stared at her like she was crazy. "No. It--it doesn't work like that. I couldn't even if I wanted to."

"Well, can it happen?" Weiss pressed. 

Taiyang sighed. "There is _a_ way, but vampires can't do it. Only a dhampir can..." He trailed off. "Open your mouth."

Weiss obliged, heart hammering in her ears as Taiyang looked in her mouth. Then he reached over and touched her teeth. "Nope! You're clear." He drew his hand back, and Weiss closed her mouth. "I thought so, but there wasn't any harm in double-checking."

Weiss sighed in relief. _That means it was just my father,_ she thought. 

"So what happened?" Taiyang asked. "Why do you think you were turned like that?"

"My father said that I'd been turned," Weiss said carefully. "My village decided to throw me out to you guys--'give to God what is God's, give to Satan what is Satan's...'" She stopped abruptly, realizing what she'd just said to the vampire that was currently doing his best to help her. 

Taiyang had a look flatter than paper on his face. "First and foremost, I am Christian, as are most of the vampires I know," he stated. "I don't know where the 'vampires are unholy' bit has come from, but there is one specific vampire I'm thinking of at the moment." He paused, then said, "You can be both a Christian and an evil person. She is possibly one of the most ruthless, brutal people I know, but she does not kill or attack people in churches and she says the Lord's Prayer every morning, when she wakes up." He shook his head, shuddering. "No. You were not turned into a vampire, and no, we had nothing to do with it." 

Weiss nodded. "This vampire--you know her?"

Taiyang didn't answer the question. Instead, he said, "Perhaps that's enough for tonight. We can talk more tomorrow, but I believe you need a bit more sleep than we do. So go take your bath and then go off to bed. There'll be plenty of time for talking tomorrow."

 _I take it you did know her then,_ Weiss thought. She stretched, then said, "Alright. More tomorrow. And...thanks. For helping me."

"No problem," Taiyang said, waving her off. He got up, saying, "C'mon, let me show you to the bathroom, and then...I guess we'll need to find a room for you."


	3. The Midnight Meeting

"So she's in bed now?" Summer asked. 

"In bed, yes. Asleep, no," Taiyang replied. The two of them sat on two of the chairs in the room on the first floor--while it didn't have any official name, they referred to it as the talking room. The two of them and their daughter, Ruby Rose. Ruby was dressed in a simple shirt and trousers for her upcoming bed time--her red cloak was neatly folded in her room, on an upper floor. "Where's Yang?" he asked, feeling as if he already knew the answer. 

"Um...she's asleep already," Ruby said, awkwardly rubbing her head. "Want me to try and wake her?"

"Leave her be," Taiyang said. Yang needed a lot more rest than he, Summer, or Ruby needed--she was, after all, a dhampir. 

"What do we do?" Summer said. "We can't just take in every human they kick out of their village."

"We can help her, so we should," Taiyang stated firmly. "If they keep doing this, we can just say no. But this girl...I dunno. I feel like there's a little more to this story--especially as not all of those bruises were from tonight. And I don't think they kept her in the village for any time at all after they thought she was a vampire."

"Is she a vampire?" Ruby asked. "I mean, did Yang--"

"She's not a vampire," Taiyang said, and the other two let out relieved sighs. "I'm still gonna ask Yang about this tomorrow, and if Weiss feels up to it, I'll introduce everyone." While normal vampires couldn't turn humans to vampires, a dhampir could. However, the process was a lot...messier...than most humans thought.

"But what do we do?" Summer pressed. "Tai, I barely figured out how to raise these two scamps--"

"Hey!" Ruby said, sounding offended. 

"--and at least Yang's half vampire!" Summer added. "Weiss is full human."

"It'll be fine," Taiyang told her. 

"Tai," Summer said, giving him a flat look. She patted her bad leg--the one she always favored, the one with just enough of a limp to be noticeable. "I know she isn't the one who put a spear through my leg, but still."

Taiyang sighed. "I suppose I could try looking around to see if there's a nearby village that would take her in," he said. "But, Summer--I know she's had a hard life so far. I didn't ask her about it, but, again, those bruises were not all from tonight. It looks like she'd been beaten _before_ her father told everyone she'd been turned. And the fact that _that's_ the only thing I know about this father doesn't sit well with me."

"I think we ought to try and help her," Ruby said. The two grownups looked to their daughter. "I mean, isn't it the Godly thing to do? Feed the hungry and all that?"

"I hate when you quote bible verses at me," Summer sighed, with just enough pride in her voice to make Ruby blush. She lay down on her chair, staring up at the ceiling. "Yes, I suppose we should take her in and help her."

"It depends on whether or not she wants to stay," Taiyang said. "But we should wait till tomorrow to ask her about that."

"I can explain this to Yang when she wakes up tomorrow," Ruby said. 

"And, um, one last thing," Taiyang added. "Summer? Can you try not to start any fights with Yang for a bit? Just, while Weiss gets comfortable. We don't want to give her the wrong impression..."

"It's not as if I'm _trying_ to start fights with her," Summer muttered, eyes narrowing. 

"Don't be the wicked stepmother," Ruby reminded her mother. 

"Oh, come on!" Summer waved her off. "Fine! I'll be careful. But make sure she promises, too."

"I'll handle it," Ruby said, giving her mother a thumbs up. 

"There's a lot that's going to happen tomorrow," Taiyang said. "We ought to get to bed soon."

Ruby nodded, then rose, stretched, and went up the steps. "Good midnight!" she called on her way up the stairs. 

"I'm not the wicked stepmother, am I?" Summer asked quietly. 

"Of course not. Children and parents butting heads is only natural," Taiyang said, reaching over and patting Summer on the shoulder. 

Summer sighed, closing her eyes. "If you don't need anything, I'll head up to bed now," Taiyang said. When Summer shooed him away, he smiled, leaving her be for the night. 


	4. Good Morning

"Ya-ang!"

"Fuck off."

"Yang!"

"Let me sleep."

"Yang..."

"Puppy dog eyes don't work if I'm sleeping."

"You're not sleeping, though."

"Asleep enough. I need more than four Goddamn hours of sleep a night, you know."

Ruby sighed, then grinned. Turning half away from her sleeping half-sister, she tapped her chin, saying, "Well, if you don't want to meet your new sister..."

Yang burst upright, her lion's mane of hair bouncing all over the place as she spun on Ruby with her lilac eyes open wide. "What?!?"

"I knew that would get you awake," Ruby chuckled. 

"RUBY WHAT DO YOU MEAN MEET MY NEW SISTER?"

Ruby burst out laughing, and Yang sleepily rubbed her eyes, taking her feet off the bed. "I guess I was had, huh?" she said with an irritated sigh. 

"Um, no." Ruby gasped for breath, the laughter dying down. "This is gonna take a minute to explain, so it's good that I got you up early!"

A few polite knocks rapped on the door to Weiss's bedchamber. She sat up, stretched, and said, "Hello?"

"Summer's making breakfast right now," Taiyang's voice called in. "Do you want to come down and eat with the rest of us, or is that gonna wait till later?"

"I'll..." Weiss paused. "How many people?"

"Summer and I, and our two daughters."

"I'll head down."

"I'll wait outside for you so I can help you navigate the place," Taiyang replied. Weiss looked over to where her dress from yesterday lay. It was torn and scratched. She looked down at what she was currently wearing--simple cloth sleep pants and a sweater. She didn't know who she'd borrowed them from--Taiyang had simply left them in the room. 

_The problem is,_ she thought, _I don't know their tells._ With her father, she could tell when he was going to snap and break. Same with her mother and her brother. _It's fine,_ she thought. _I'll learn their tells._ She could do that again. She was Weiss Schnee. 

She didn't see a brush, so she simply opened the door and left. "I couldn't find any normal clothes in there," she said apologetically. 

Taiyang brushed her off. "It's fine. Most of us wear our sleep clothes for breakfast anyway."

"You had two daughters?" Weiss asked as Taiyang lead the way--why he needed to, she had no idea. It was a spiral staircase and she'd passed the dining hall on the way to her room the night before. 

_The night before..._

"I'm still alive, huh?" she muttered. 

"Alive and well, hopefully," Taiyang said. 

"...you have very good hearing."

"Thank you," Taiyang said with a grin--it didn't look malicious. Which meant that he was actually good, or he was just really good at hiding the bad. 

Weiss wasn't sure which scared her more. 

"...all of that stuff, you just have to accept that whatever happens happens," Summer's soothing, calming voice came from around the bend. As Weiss entered the room, she noticed a giant red glass table through the center of the room. Three chairs stood on one side, two on the other, and more chairs were stacked at the side of the room. _So it was built to serve more people than it currently does?_ Weiss pondered. This would answer who's bedroom she'd slept in--the house was huge. Since they probably didn't have any servants, there must have been a lot of empty space. "Going through your head over and over about what _might_ happen will not get you anywhere," Summer continued. Weiss turned her attention to the master vampire. She was smiling, standing over a cookpot on an old-fashioned stove. She stirred the pot with a metal handle, heedless of the steam coming from the pot. A tea pot stood besides the cookpot, and a younger vampire stood besides Summer. 

This new one had pale skin, like her parents, and like her mother, two silver eyes and the same red-and-black hair. She wore a red cloak around her shoulders, clasped with a metal rose. She wore a skirt, leggings, and a shirt, and was looking at her mother with a look of exasperation. 

"Yeah, knowing that doesn't seem to stop me from thinking it," she muttered, folding her arms over her chest. 

"This is Ruby, our younger daughter," Taiyang introduced. Ruby jumped--almost over the table--landed back on the ground, and stumbled. She nearly face-planted on the ground, but caught her balance and turned the fall into a bow, looking like she was half-way competent. 

"I am Ruby Rose," she said in an accent that was nothing like how she'd spoken a minute ago. 

Weiss gave a half-bow, wincing at the pain in her back. "Weiss Schnee."

"Where's Yang?" Taiyang asked, looking around. 

"On her way," Ruby replied. "I considered it good enough that I managed to wake her up, and didn't argue about how quickly she needed to come."

"That's fine," Taiyang said. He stepped over and said to Weiss, "We worked out a few seating arrangements while you were sleeping." He gestured to the side of the table with only two chairs. 

"Thank you," Weiss said with a polite nod. She sat down, leaning back in the chair. 

"Once Yang comes down, we'll talk about what to do next," Taiyang said. 

_What do you mean by that?_ Weiss thought. Before she could worry about it more, a bowl of soup was set in front of her. Summer passed her a wooden spoon, flashed her a confident grin, and then moved on to serving food to everyone else. Taiyang, Weiss noted, was the one seated on the same side she was. Summer was on the far end of the other side, with Ruby by her side. Weiss noted that Summer's chair was the only one that was far away from both Weiss's and the empty one, which was presumably for this 'Yang' person. 

Weiss stirred her soup around a minute, noting the ingredients. She found assorted vegetables, and the meat appeared to be beef. She took a cautious bite. _No poison, and it's actually beef._ And as a bonus, it was actually good. She took another bite, savoring the flavor. 

She stopped upon hearing heavy footsteps. None of the vampires she'd met so far, whether this was magic or simply them being careful, made any sound when they walked. Weiss looked up at the door to the kitchen as a yellow-haired woman walked into the room. She looked...tired. Unlike Ruby, she still wore her night clothes, cloth shirt and trousers. She had a lion's mane of unkempt hair, and two lilac eyes with bags under them. She yawned as she crossed the room, past Taiyang. 

"You're finally awake," Taiyang said with a chuckle. 

"Coffee first," she replied, "then talk." 

"That's Yang," Taiyang told Weiss. "She's...tired in the mornings."

"Cuz I need more than four hours sleep," Yang muttered, pouring herself coffee. She completely ignored the soup pot, instead taking the seat besides Ruby. Yang met Weiss's gaze. "I'm guessing you're Weiss?"

"Weiss Schnee. Please to meet you, Miss Xiao Long."

"Whatever."

Weiss had not expected her to be this apathetic--especially considering how her sister behaved so far. Then Weiss noticed it. "You don't have fangs."

Yang stopped, then raised an eyebrow at Weiss. A chill ran through Weiss at the gaze. "How many vampires have you met before?" she asked. 

"You four are the first."

"Do you even know what a dhampir is?"

"Can't say it's familiar."

"A dhampir is the child between a human and a vampire," Taiyang explained. "Not really either of them."

Weiss considered this for a minute, trying to figure out how to reply to what was most likely a sensitive topic. Thankfully, Summer cleared up her confusion. 

"Yang is my step-daughter," she explained, noticing Weiss's confusion. "I'm Tai's second wife. Both of us are vampires, but the first wife was human."

"Oh. Thanks for clearing that up."

Yang snorted--whether from laughter or something else, Weiss wasn't quite sure. The blonde's face was cast downwards at her drink. 

"So, the real question is, 'what to do next'?" Taiyang said, stirring his soup. "If you want, I can try looking around to find another family to take you in. I don't think you're family would take you back, but...we'd also be willing to look after you." Taiyang gestured towards his family and daughters. "We talked about this this morning and last night. We're willing to give you whatever help you need."

Weiss didn't answer. She considered her options carefully. "I...don't think I have anywhere else to go," she said slowly. "I would...appreciate it if you could offer shelter."

"We can," Taiyang said, "but I'd like to clear a few things up first."

Weiss turned to him. He cleared his throat, then asked, "What exactly...do you think a vampire _is?_ "

"A human that drank another human's blood," Weiss replied. "That's...what I was taught."

There was a stunned silence. Yang snorted with, this time, very obvious laughter. 

"That's..." Taiyang rubbed his face. "That's not even remotely true...vampires are just like another kind of people. We're not demons or ungodly creations or dark magic or anything like that. We're our own thing."

"So...do you drink human blood?"

"Not...human blood..." Summer rubbed her hair awkwardly. "I mean, normally we drink sheep blood...why are you staring at me like it's weird? Don't humans drink wine?"

"Wine and blood are very different," Weiss countered. 

"The only difference is what you cut open," Summer replied coolly. 

There was a stunned silence. "As I was saying," Taiyang said, flashing Summer a look. She returned a helpless shrug. With a sigh, Taiyang continued. "We need four hours of sleep a night, we're fast and strong, and blood enhances magic--though you get in a lot of trouble for drinking from anything that can tell you not too, even if no one catches you." Taiyang took a bite of his soup. "I've seen a few vampires that drank human blood. It's more potent than sheep blood, but it doesn't come free."

A chill ran through Weiss. "So, you're strong, fast, and magic, and you drink blood to enhance your magic. But not human blood. But what is a dhampir?"

"Tired," Yang replied. 

Weiss found herself chuckling at that. She quickly put a hand to her mouth, surprised. No one but her house steward, Klein, had ever made her laugh before. 

"Dhampirs are...their own complications," Taiyang said. "For now, yes, tired will suffice. Yang sleeps about twelve hours a day."

"And is grumpy the other eight hours," Ruby said, elbowing her half-sister. "But lovably so," she added. 

Yang grumbled something under her breath. Then she sighed and nodded. "Yeah, that's accurate," she said. 

Summer rose, stretching. "I'm going to go find you some non-night clothes, unless you want to wear the same pair of pajamas for weeks on end," she stated. "I'd honestly forgot we had those--they were Ruby's, at one point. When she was as old as you!"

"How old do you think I am?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Summer paused in the doorway to the kitchen, picking up her walking cane. "Judging by your height, fourteen. Why?"

"I'm eighteen," Weiss said quietly. 

The long, awkward silence filled the room. "Yeah...uh...I'll...uh...go now," Summer said with a sheepish grin. 


	5. Boop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. We were busy for a bit, I posted it as soon as it was finished to my liking.

The village was quiet, as it was usually. Lie Ren turned the page in his book, barely reading it as much as listening to his bodyguard chatter. Nora Valkyrie wasn't a skilled soldier, hired mercenary, or legendary fighter--she was a friend. Ren had found her one day, bruised and beaten, unconscious and dying by the side of the road. They'd taken her in, unable to find her family and getting little help from Nora herself, who refused to talk about her past. Ren's father had decided to make her one of his guards after discovering her skill with the sword--and after she'd bested him in a practice duel. While she'd been reclusive at first, she'd slowly warmed up to her new family. 

"...and I'm just thinking, that's kinda stupid, you know? Who would even say that? Besides that idiot, I mean, I was absolutely right there. He just refused to admit it, I mean--"

"Nora?" Ren politely interrupted. 

She stopped, mid-practice swing with her blade--she didn't use a wooden one for practice, as she said, 'the balance was off on the wooden ones'. "Yes, Ren?"

"...I don't think sloths make a lot of noise," Ren stated. The only sound for a moment was his turning to the next page. 

"That's why it's the perfect secret signal!" Nora cried, triumphantly punching a fist into the air. "No one would suspect it!"

Ren chuckled at that. "Well, I can't argue against it."

"Why do you sound surprised?" Nora asked, raising an eyebrow. "Am I not a logic master?"

"Normally, no." Ren looked back at his book, trying not to smirk at Nora's cry of outrage. 

"Having fun?" a new voice said. Both looked up as Ren's father, Li Ren, passed by. It was rare when he smiled, but today they were evidently luck--he was in a good mood. 

Nora saluted him, standing at attention. Li Ren nodded, then said, "I hope your practice and studying is going well?"

"Yes, sir," Ren answered. 

"Now _that's_ always good to hear," a second newcomer said. Unlike the first one, Ren didn't know the speaker--he and Nora looked up in alarm as a black-haired woman with two piercing yellow eyes strode down the path. She had a torn, ragged cloak wrapped around one shoulder, and her fingers had metal claws on them. "How's everything been for you, Li? Cuz I have been doing just _wonderfully,_ dontcha know?"

"Who are you?" Nora said, hand firm around her sword hilt. "How'd you get in here?"

"I wanted to greet an old friend, is that so bad?" the stranger said, giving Nora a frowny face. "But your doorman was too slow, so I just invited myself in."

"What do you want, Belladonna?" Li Ren said firmly. 

"That's a long list, buddy," the woman, evidently Belladonna, answered, putting a hand on her hip. "How about we start with what you can give?"

"Father...?" Ren said, slowly rising. 

"Get inside," Li Ren told him without looking. 

"...'father'? Don't tell me--you have a son now!" Belladonna clapped her hands together. "Congratulations. It's been so long since we last talked...how about we catch up first?" She grinned maliciously. A spike of alarm ran through Ren. 

Nora took his hand, and slowly pulled him away. "We'll leave you be," she said. 

"Who is she?" Ren asked. 

"No idea," Nora said. "But evidently, someone dangerous. This Belladonna person was a dhampir, too..."

"A what?" Ren asked. 

Nora blinked at him. "Oh, right. It's, um, the child of a vampire and a human. Technically speaking, it's illegal among the vampires, last I heard."

Nora had, a few times, referenced odd facts about vampires. While she'd ignored him when he'd asked, he had the sneaking suspicion that when they'd found her, she'd left a vampire's home. 

"Is Father going to be okay?" Ren asked. 

"It would be a very stupid to try and attack a skilled swordsman in his house while surrounded by his guards," Nora said simply. "Besides, I feel like if she's trying to assassinate him, she's doing one hell of a bad job."

"What do we do?"

"We wait," Nora answered. 

Ren sighed, then looked back towards where Li Ren was talking to Belladonna. Both seemed agitated. "I don't like this..."

"Me, neither." 


	6. The Grand Tour

"So..." Ruby pushed away her empty bowl, then flashed a confident grin at Weiss. "You want the tour?"

"I'll have to have it sooner or later," Weiss replied with a shrug. 

"You two have fun," Taiyang said. "I'll deal with the dishes."

"Thank you for the meal," Weiss said with a bow. Taiyang hesitated, then bowed back. "You're welcome," he said. 

"Mind if I join you two?" Yang asked, setting aside her cup. 

"Umm..." Ruby blinked in surprise. "Not at all! But...don't you want sleep? You woke up early and all..." 

Yang waved her off. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Ruby," Yang said firmly. Ruby shrugged, then said, "So I guess we ought to start from the ground floor, eh?"

"That would be best, and work our way up," Weiss suggested. 

"Then let's head on down," Ruby said, taking the lead and walking down the staircase. Weiss followed. Ruby paused and looked back. "Ya-ang! You coming or not?" she called out. 

Yang stepped into the staircase and handed Weiss a wet rag. "For that bruise of yours," she said. 

"Oh," Weiss said. She raised a suspicious eyebrow at Yang, who said nothing and looked the opposite way. Weiss held the rag to her face. 

"Um...okay. Now we head down!" Ruby marched down the staircase, her cloak fluttering around her as she disappeared down the steps. 

"She's a bit impatient, and a bit energetic, but she's got a heart of gold," Yang told Weiss, slowly moving down the steps. She appeared to be in no hurry to catch up to her half-sister. _Is she in a hurry for anything?_ Weiss wondered. She couldn't read Yang--Yang's emotions were masked behind a shroud. _She's patient,_ Weiss decided. 

"Thank you," Weiss muttered, looking away. "For...the rag. It's helping."

"Hmph."

"Why are you coming with the two of us on this tour?" Weiss asked, hoping to gauge the dhampir. 

"A few reasons," Yang said. "I love Ruby, but sometimes, she can be a bit...much. So I'm mostly here for damage control, with the extra thing being..." She hesitated. "Well, I don't know why this is, and all of them denied doing it on purpose, but for whatever reason, vampire footsteps don't make sound. It's weird, but true. In any case, I'm a dhampir, and you've lived your life hearing the sounds of walking. So I thought it would help if you had that little bit of extra sound."

"Huh." If Yang hadn't been there, Weiss suddenly felt as if the whole thing would have felt off and creepy. She was sure that she'd have never figured out why she would have been bugged out, too. "Thank you."

"You say that too much," Yang muttered. 

"You help me too much," Weiss replied dryly. She almost didn't catch the look Yang shot her--a look of surprise and mild alarm. Before she could think too much about it, Ruby burst out with, "Took you long enough!" She dramatically thrust her hands to the sides, saying, "Behold, the talking room! The first thing anyone sees of the inside of the house. You--you've been here, right?"

"Yes," Weiss nodded. "It's a nice drawing room."

"No, Yang has her own room for drawing," Ruby said, confused. 

"Not that kind of drawing," Weiss said snappily. "As in, the room in which guests are entertained and the family gathers."

"Wait, there's an actual name for that?" Ruby asked, turning to Yang. Yang shrugged helplessly. "Huh. I guess you learn something new every day," Ruby said with a shrug. "Now, the kitchen!" she cried, rushing up the steps. 

"Weren't we just here?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Yup," Taiyang said. "How's it going?"

"Did you know that the talking room is actually a drawing room?" Ruby asked her father. 

"What the hell is a drawing room?" Taiyang asked. 

"The third floor consists of bedrooms," Ruby said, moving down the hallway. "This is mine, that's Yang's, that's the one you slept in last night, and that one's Mom and Dad's."

"So what about the four extra bedrooms?" Weiss asked, examining the doors. 

"Um...unused. I did ask Mom about that one time," Ruby said, tapping one of the doors. "This wasn't originally built for House Rose. Mom isn't sure what it was--though she thinks it was some kind of barracks used during the war."

Weiss opened the door to one of the unused bedrooms, peaking in. It was full of dust, with a single bed in the corner and a window with moth-eaten curtains. She immediately sneezed. 

"Let's keep those dust bunnies locked up tight," Yang suggested, gently closing the door. Weiss obliged, moving back. 

"Fourth floor is the library," Ruby said. "Behold! Books!"

This floor consisted of four massive bookshelves, each one filled with books. There was a single table in front of them, with several books on top of it. "All of Mom's books from her old home were moved here after the war."

"But the printing press was only built after the war," Weiss said. "That means all of these are hand-written...this must have cost a fortune!"

"Mom is rich," Ruby agreed. 

"I think she did some sort of favor for the Queen," Yang said, frowning in confusion. 

"...the vampire Queen?"

"Queen Salem herself, yah," Ruby said with a nod. 

A chill ran through Weiss. 

"Anyways, that is Yang's drawing room--wait, we can't call it that anymore, can we?" Ruby turned to Yang. 

"It's a room where I draw. It's a drawing room," Yang said firmly. Weiss turned and looked--an artist's easel was set up by a window, with a small stand for paints and a candle on either side of it. 

"You paint?" Weiss asked in surprise. 

"It doesn't take much brain power, and I enjoy it, so yeah." Yang shrugged. "I paint."

"How old do vampires get?" Weiss suddenly asked. 

"About as old as humans, but blood extends that a bit," Ruby said. 

"I've never asked how old Summer and Dad are," Yang said. "But, when Ruby asked her when her birthday was, Summer told her she'd stopped counting."

Weiss shuddered. Thinking about Yang's tone, she asked, "And...dhampirs?"

Yang sighed. "Observant, aren't you?" She stepped over and sat at the table with books on it. "Summer said she's met dhampirs before. Without drinking human blood, none live beyond sixty." 

There was a stunned silence. "But...won't the rest of your family live up to a hundred and older? Like all the stories say?"

Yang sighed. "Yes, please do keep talking about my mortality. I just love hearing about how my entire family will outlive me by a hundred years."

Weiss flinched. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"

Yang waved her off. "Please, it's alright." Weiss still looked worried--and she'd hunkered back, too. Yang didn't like that--judging from the bruise that still covered her cheek, she expected to be slapped. "C'mon, let's continue with the tour." She strode past Weiss and Ruby, up the steps. 

Ruby put a hand on Weiss's shoulder, then jumped back when she recoiled. "It's okay," Ruby said, hoping she was comforting. After a tense moment, Weiss relaxed with a sigh. "Yang's...a little sensitive about that. When she first asked Mom about that--oh, God. They had a huge fight about it. They fired insults back and forth all day. They didn't talk to each other for a week straight, despite Dad and my best efforts. They--eventually made up, but Yang--you understand, right?"

Weiss nodded. "It's...not a pleasant thought." 

Ruby, hesitantly, clapped Weiss on the shoulder. "Well, come on. Last floor!"


	7. The Warehouse

"Behold! We call this room the warehouse." Yang kicked a rusted sword across the floor, knocking it through multiple clouds of dust and cobwebs. The room was filled with marble crates that almost looked like tombs. There were several weapon racks with swords on them, each one with a rose symbol on the hilt. 

"Is that a scythe?" Weiss asked. 

Ruby hefted the large, solid-steel farming implement with a grunt. "Mom said it was called Crescent Rose. I don't know why it's up here, but she never really seemed like she wanted to explain. We have a lot of stuff like that up here!"

"Yup," Yang agreed. "Other old war weapons, according to Dad. A bunch of miscellaneous sewing supplies, a few musical instruments, and this weird, creepy statue of Summer that just...y'know...sits there. Staring." She scratched her head. "Why do we have this again?"

"First and foremost, it's back there somewhere," the statue said, pointing a thumb over its shoulder and putting its other hand on its hip. "Second, I have no idea why we have that thing."

Yang and Ruby jumped back with startled cries. Weiss flinched, covering her ears. 

"You're not surprised?" Summer asked her. 

"You said that you were looking for clothes for me, so I assumed," Weiss said, "that this 'last floor' was where you were looking for them." 

"Oh, wait," Ruby said. "Yeah, you're right about that."

" _That_ is the statue," Summer said, pointing. Smooth, marble, the statue looked almost exactly like Summer, one hand on her hip, the other giving a thumbs up. "I don't know why we have it. I think it was gift from someone...?"

"What _are_ you doing up here?" Yang asked, surprised. "We don't store clothes up here."

"We don't really have any _spares,_ though," Summer admitted, holding up a basket. "I was grabbing the sewing stuff."

"Thank you," Weiss said with a half-bow. "I appreciate the work you're doing for me."

Summer hesitated, then sighed. "Ruby, Yang? Would you two mind leaving us alone for a minute?"

Weiss jumped straight, wincing at the pain. "Huh?"

"I wanted to talk to you a minute," Summer said. She sat down on one of the marble crates with a wince, folding one leg on top of the other. 

Yang left the room, flashing a motivational smile at Weiss. Ruby, as she passed, said, "Don't worry--she may seem scary at times, but she's really just a big softie."

"I have ears, y'know."

Ruby winced, then left. 

Summer waited a long moment, then patted the marble box to her left. "Sit, please."

With rising tension, Weiss obeyed. 

Summer idly played with a ball of yarn. "So. You might have noticed my limp by now, huh?"

Weiss nodded. 

"It was shortly after the war," Summer said slowly. "I had decided on traveling a bit. Finding a place to settle down. But...I encountered a group of humans. They...weren't so pleased about the whole truce thing. So they attacked. For the most part, I played it safe. But, towards the end, I had a spear shoved through my leg. Through the kneecap." She patted her leg that was propped on the other. "Not exactly my proudest moment, admittedly. The point is that since then, I've developed...what you could call a phobia of humans."

Weiss felt a chill run through her. 

Summer sighed, looking down at Weiss. Weiss was short, and while Summer wasn't exactly tall, she still leaned over the Schnee. "I'm not threatening you or anything. I'm simply saying...please be patient with me, kay?"

Weiss nodded. Then, a thought struck her. "Did you...fight in the war?"

"Between humans and vampires?"

"What other?"

"Right, right," Summer nodded. "Yeah. I fought in it." 

Weiss rose--she paused when Summer stiffened, then slowly got up and walked over to the scythe. Crescent Rose, Ruby had called it. Weiss lifted it, feeling along the length of the blade. It was designed so that the handle had model thorns running up and down it, and that the blade itself was jagged. Almost like it had teeth. 

"You're...the War Rose, aren't you?" Weiss asked slowly, turning to Summer

Summer nodded. "That's my old weapon there. A few mocked me for using a scythe--before the war, I was a farmer." She shrugged. "It was all I was used too."

"You and the Butcher...you two turned the tide of the war," Weiss said slowly. 

"The Butcher of Menagerie?" Summer said with surprise. "I haven't talked with her in decades. Not since...well, we had a falling out."

"What happened?"

"Everyone has their faults. Blake's...just stacked up a bit too much for her to handle." Summer looked away, a pained look flashing across her eyes. "I don't want to talk about that. Go ask Taiyang if you want to know--I just can't, Weiss."

Weiss set the scythe down, then walked over to Summer, taking one of the vampire's hands in her own. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

"I'd bet my ass that you've been through a lot, too," Summer replied dryly. 

Weiss sighed, resuming her seat. "Yeah."

Summer tossed the ball of yarn into the air and then caught it. "I don't even know why I picked this up," she said. "I don't know how to knit."

Weiss stared at it. "Me neither."

Summer tossed it behind her. It bounced off the statue's face and rolled across the floor. 

They shared a silence for a minute longer. Then Summer rose, picking up the basket and her cane. She set the cane down and stomped on the handle of Crescent Rose. It flung into the air, and she grabbed it, spinning it around her in a red-and-white blur. With a chuckle, she set it carefully on one of the weapon racks. "Still got it," she muttered. "And, Weiss--" She smiled, picking up her cane again. "Thank you for your patience."

Weiss nodded. "It's the least I can do for you after everything you've done--and are still doing--for me. I should be thanking you, really." 

Summer left, leaving the door open. Weiss leaned back, then turned around, noticing something by the ball of yarn. She picked up a small portrait and blew the dust off. Summer Rose and a strange woman in a black-and-white outfit. Both were grinning like mad and flipping off the painter. 

Summer had her scythe across her shoulders, and the strange woman held a black sword. 

"The Butcher of Menagerie," she whispered with a shudder. But...she didn't look like a vampire. She looked more like Yang--a dhampir, perhaps?

 _Summer said her name was Blake?_ she thought. _Maybe...maybe I'll ask Taiyang about her sometime._


	8. What Next

When Weiss entered the library, Ruby immediately said, "So...what was that about?"

"Nothing much," Weiss said evenly. "Besides, she sent you two out of the room so it'd be a _private_ conversation, I believe."

Yang nodded. "So what next?" the blonde asked. 

"Hmm?"

"That's the whole tour--it's not exactly a _giant_ castle," Yang pointed out. 

"Yang, are you forgetting the garden?" Ruby said, giving her sister a pointed look. 

Yang paused. "While yes, I did forget it, it's not technically _in_ the castle--"

"You're allergic to most of those flowers anyway," Ruby said, waving her off. "I'll show it to Weiss."

"I'd...like to see this garden," Weiss commented. 

Yang sighed, plopping herself down in front of her artist's easel. "Later, then."

Ruby led Weiss down, to the drawing room and to the front door. "Wait a minute," Weiss said. "You can't go out during the day."

"I can't?" Ruby said, blinking at her. 

"Won't you burn?" Weiss asked. 

Ruby paused a long minute, then simply opened the door. Sunlight streamed through across the room, framing Ruby in shadow. Ruby chuckled, then said, "Um...no."

Weiss blinked. "Oh." 

Ruby laughed, moving out of the doorway. "C'mon! Garden's this way!"

Weiss hesitated, then followed her. Ruby went around the walls, looking back at Weiss once. "So, Mom has this thing for gardening," Ruby explained, stepping over a fallen log by the wall. The forest loomed close around them, and Ruby helped Weiss step over the log. "Always has. I know, before the war, she was a farmer who also sold flowers. It's where the 'rose' comes from--she changed her name." 

Weiss looked up through a gap in the trees. "The flowers are beautiful," Ruby said, "you just have to see them, Weiss."

"If you say so."

"But when she grew the garden here...it was shortly before she married Dad. They'd moved in together, and she was helping to raise Yang." Ruby pushed a branch out of her way, and stopped abruptly when it snapped off. Tossing it aside, Ruby continued. "Yang and Mom...don't get along too well," Ruby said slowly. Gravel crunched under Weiss's foot, causing Ruby to snap back and look at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just gravel."

"I've never heard that sound before," Ruby muttered. "Yang doesn't come around to the garden--she's allergic to the poppies Mom grows. Usually, after they've had an argument, Mom comes out here." Ruby stopped in front of a metal gate. She pushed it open, walking into the garden. "She often jokes about being the evil stepmother from fairy tales--I don't think she actually finds it funny, though." 

Weiss stepped up beside Ruby, and gasped. Rows of flowers were centered around a single fountain in the center. 

"See how the flower rows are curved?" Ruby asked with a grin. "When Mom had the place built, she had it arranged so that, from above, it was seen as a giant flower."

Each row of flowers stood almost six feet tall. There were multitudes of flowers--brilliant yellows, dazzling reds, deep violets. Weiss let out an astonished breath as she moved towards the fountain. It was made to look like a giant rose, with thorns on the sides where water came out. 

"Dad told me that this cost a fortune to build," Ruby said, stepping up besides Weiss with a smile. Then she frowned. "Have you...not seen a garden before?"

"The closest I had was a flowerpot in my room," Weiss answered casually. "Father...didn't like flowers."

"Then he'd really hate this over here," Ruby said with a grin. She grabbed Weiss's hand and led her around the fountain. 

The rose bush was as tall as the other plants, with a brilliant red and white coloring. The edges of all the petals were a deep red, and the insides pure white. They had thorns, but the thorns hardly looked like defense. 

"Mom spent a hundred years figuring out how to grow these perfectly," Ruby said with a touch of pride. "She didn't stop during the war and didn't stop afterwards. She's been teaching me when she's had the time, and we've done nicely, if I am allowed to say so." 

"They're beautiful," Weiss whispered. 

Ruby blushed with pride. "Aw, thanks. Glad you like it."

Weiss smiled. "Would it be okay if I came out here sometimes?"

"Of course! This is your house too, now. Just be careful with the flowers. They're delicate."


	9. Building Bridges

"A bit of a rush job, I must admit," Summer said, handing the white and red dress to Weiss. Weiss lifted it up and breathed a sigh of wonder. "I love it," she whispered. 

Summer beamed with pride. "Aw, it's...it's no biggie."

"Dad and Yang are cooking dinner, so, that'll be done soon," Ruby said, clapping her hands together. "How's day one been for you?"

"Wonderful," Weiss said, smiling at the two. "You have been very gracious and kind to me. Thank you."

A light rain sprinkled through the trees as a shadowed figure moved through the forest. Her heavy boots clomped against the cobblestone road as she pulled her cloak tighter around her...

"You're very much welcome," Summer said, sitting down in what Weiss had come to think of as her chair. "I'm glad to be able to help someone who needed it."

Weiss's smile flickered, and she hugged the dress to her chest. Ruby sat down in another chair, frowning. "Is...something wrong?"

A hand with clawed fingers scraped against a tree. She wore metal claws over her fingers. Two yellow eyes pierced through the forest, seeing the giant emblem of a rose on the tower. 

"Nothing's wrong," Weiss said hastily. "Just...the whole day feels a little...rushed." When neither of the other two said anything, Weiss continued. "It just feels like it was over so quickly, and basically nothing happened."

"A bit of warning, it gets monotonous around here," Summer apologized. "Other than reread books, there hasn't been much to do."

_Creeeeeeak._

The door was slowly pushed open. Weiss saw surprise flicker of Ruby and Summer's faces, and then alarm and fear over Summer's face. "Get behind me," she said, jumping to her feet. She grabbed Weiss and roughly pulled her behind her. Ruby quickly obeyed, joining Weiss and staring at the uninvited guest. 

A head full of barely managed hair with a single black bow, two piercing yellow eyes. She had a cloak clasped around her neck, ragged and torn. She wore a black and white shirt with a belt around her waist. Her hands were covered in black wrappings, and her fingers had metallic claws. Her pants were black, with a white patch from her thighs to her knees. A sword was sheathed in her belt, and she slowly walked into the room and shuddered. "Not a cloud all day and suddenly the sky tries to drown the world," she said with a shrug. "Talk about surprises."

"What do you want, Blake?" Summer demanded. 

A spike of fear ran through Weiss. The Butcher of Menagerie? Here? Granted, she was hiding behind the War Rose, but of the two of them, the Butcher was the one mothers told their children was hiding under the bed. 

"I want you, Summer," Blake replied. "I--" She paused, then sniffed the air. She took a cautious step forward, looking at Weiss with surprise. Then, she snarled, and Weiss saw deep gray spines rise from the back of Blake's neck for the briefest of moments. "A human?" she spluttered. "What are you doing, Summer?"

"Giving help to those who need it," Summer growled. "More than, I imagine, you'd understand."

Blake sighed. "I've changed, Summer. I've realized the mistakes I made--though not everything that you say was a mistake is something that I see as bad, mind you." She stomped across the floor, dragging claws across the walls, keeping eyes on Weiss. Summer moved so that she remained in between Blake and the children. 

Blake let out an aggravated breath. "I did not come all this way to attack your children, Summer--whether or not they have any blood relations to you." She gave Weiss a look, and then--with an effort--focused on Summer. "I came to talk to you, Summer."

There was a long silence. "Then speak," Summer said stiffly. 

"Dinner's ready!" Taiyang called down, peaking down from the steps. He noticed Blake, and immediately exclaimed, "Oh, FUCK."

"Ah, great. The blonde is still alive." Blake sighed. "Never did like you."

"If this is what you came to tell me, be aware that I already knew that," Summer stated. 

"Are you not going to send the kids out?" Blake asked. 

"I am not keeping secrets from them," Summer said firmly. "Talk or leave."

Blake nodded slowly. "Your honesty is one of the things I always respected you for, Summer," she said. "So I will be honest and blunt. Queen Salem was there when we needed her, but is now holding us back. She sought only to stalemate with humanity. We could have _won_ the war. None of this hiding bullshit we have now." Blake paused, then continued. "So why not continue the war? Why not finish it, so the humans will never attack us again?"

"The humans have done nothing to me," Summer said casually, as if she were discussing tea instead of war. She ruffled Weiss's long hair, adding, "Some of them, I even care for."

"I'm not suggesting annihilating them," Blake said. "One in specific I'm a close friend with. What I'm saying is, we turn some of them, and the rest, we leave. After we beat them, they'll never think of trying anything again, and if we turn enough of them into us, then they can't try anything."

"Leave me out of your insane plans," Summer said. "I don't care what you do. Just leave me out of it."

Blake blinked once, then twice. "You're not going to help me...but you're not going to stop me?"

Summer didn't answer. 

"Inaction solves nothing," Blake growled. "When did you get like this?" 

"I have no quarrel with Salem of the vampires, or Ozpin of the men," Summer said firmly. "And I don't _want_ to fight you."

"I can understand that," Blake said quietly, looking away. "But weren't you the one who told me to do what I needed to? No matter how much I didn't want to do it?"

"You always took that too far, and you have the claws to prove it," Summer pointed out. 

There was a long silence. Blake gritted her teeth, clenched one hand into a fist. "I told you...I've changed. I realize now that that was a mistake--that the things I did were not worth it. But please..." She looked at Summer, all anger and tension gone. "We need your help. There's only three of us right now--we have more coming, but I can't lead them. _You_ are a _leader,_ Summer. You are the one we need. Please."

"No," Summer said. "I told you already. I want nothing more than to sit in my house and read a book, watching my kids grow up. I don't want anything to do with you or your insane insurrection plot."

"...Fine," Blake said stiffly. She spun on her heel, her cloak flaring out behind her. "I never thought you a coward, Summer. So go on then. Hide in your little hut...and when the aged walls cave in, when the rain goes right through the roof covered in holes, don't cry to me when you realize you're going to die." She closed the door behind her, striding into the rain. 

Summer collapsed immediately, her left legging buckling. Weiss tried, and failed, to hold her up and almost fell down on top of Summer. Summer breathed heavily for a moment, then said, "We need...a family meeting."


	10. Gospel Truths

As much as she liked her analogy of the old rotting house...

Blake sighed, opening the rotting door to her current base of operations. The two-story building had been built before the war--meaning the wood was almost seventy years old. The wood that Blake and her pupil hadn't painstakingly replaced, of course. 

"Is the War Rose..." Pyrrha stopped, having rushed into the room in excitement. 

"That coward is hiding," Blake growled, casting her cloak to the sides as she passed Pyrrha. "She 'has no problem with Salem or the humans'. She refuses to do _anything_ for either side." 

Pyrrha picked up the cloak, then followed Blake into the main room. It was a long hall, a few rotten, unrecognizable portraits on the walls, which were lined with hospital beds. 

Most of them had a patient on them, though none of them more than muttered, despite Blake's volume. "I mean, come on!" Blake cried, thrusting her hands into the air. "She had--I can't believe she--dear God, why?" Blake spun, and Pyrrha flinched back as two piercing yellow eyes gazed into her own. "Why is it that everyone I've ever looked up to has abandoned me? Why can I never--" She burst into coughing, and Pyrrha stepped over and helped support her weight. "Easy, Miss Belladonna," she said. "You're overextending yourself. After all you've already done tonight, it was a poor idea to go seek out the War Rose."

Blake nodded. Being half-carried by Pyrrha, she slowly moved into a drawing room, reclining on a chair. Pyrrha hurried about, fetching a thing of wine and pouring a glass. She set it on the small black table besides Blake. 

"And our third member?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"He slumbers still," Pyrrha said, kneeling besides Blake. 

"Of course he does," Blake muttered. 

Pyrrha moved Blake's glass closer to her reach, but Blake shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not going to do it this time, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha froze, and her already pale skin turned whiter. Wincing, Blake sighed, "I'm sorry it must be this way."

"I am willing," Pyrrha said, leaning down closer to Blake. Blake reached over, pulling Pyrrha's cloak away from her neck. Then, she opened her mouth and bit down hard. 

Yang, stifling a yawn, ladled out soup for everyone. Summer had pushed her chair away from the dining table, and was rubbing her left leg in pain. 

"That was Blake?" Weiss asked. "The--the Butcher of Menagerie?"

"I feel like I need to clarify something I should have earlier," Summer muttered. "Blake is not the person who butchered Menagerie--last I checked, Menagerie is still a thriving town. Menagerie is Blake's _hometown."_

"Oh," Ruby said. "Um...okay. But...that _was_ Blake, right?"

Summer sighed, thumping her head against the back of her chair. "Yes. That was her."

"Okay," Ruby said. "Thank you."

"What do we do?" Weiss asked. "Do we warn...Queen Salem?" The queen of the vampires, Salem. She lived in her castle and hadn't been seen outside it since the war had ended. She had used her magic during the war to summon monsters that had been immune to most weapons. 

The only reason humans hadn't lost the war, Weiss thought, was because there were so few vampires.

"What happens with Salem is not my concern," Summer said distractedly, stroking her chin. When she noticed the startled glances everyone gave her, she sighed. "I can't fight her. Even if I could force myself to go at her without holding back, I'm just not strong enough to beat her anymore--besides, there's the fact that she's still alive to begin with."

"What's that have to do with anything?" Yang asked. 

"Cuz if I remember correctly, she's over seventy right now," Summer said. "Meaning she's been drinking blood from a lot of humans--if she did it too much on one of them, it would turn them into a vampire and then--" She froze. " _Fuck,_ " she whispered. "She wouldn't still be doing that, would she?"

Tai frowned, then his eyes widened. "You mean, drinking _vampire_ blood?"

"If two to three people went missing every week, people would notice," Summer said. "Vampire blood would be the only consistent and safe way she has to stay alive."

"Wait, she's drinking _vampire_ blood?" Ruby said, aghast. "Is...is that even possible?"

"Oh, yes. In fact, she's done it at least once before, the _last_ time I met her," Summer said. She looked over at Weiss, Ruby, and Yang, then said slowly, "Stay away from her. If you don't get in her way, she won't mess with you--she rarely attacks without provocation, and she _certainly_ wouldn't attack you three without it. So if you see her, run the other way. Don't try and stop her, _don't_ play the hero. Just run."

"But she's--" Ruby stopped abruptly as Summer turned to face her. 

"Ruby."

"Y-yes?"

"Time is merciless. I am dying of old age. Not today, not tomorrow, but soon. I figure I have a decade left, tops." She sighed. "I was trying to find the perfect time to say this, but it doesn't look like I'll get it. I want to know that when I die, my kids will stay safe. None of you are going to do anything to Blake--and if you tried going to warn Salem, she'd catch you on the road. You'd never make it in time. Please."

Ruby jumped over and hugged her mother. "Okay," she said quietly, tears running down her cheeks. "You're...dying?"

"You're stuck with me for a while longer, sweetheart," Summer said, patting Ruby on the head. She gave a sad smile as she looked over at the shocked Weiss. "Well?" 

"I--I don't--how do I--"

Summer reached over and, slightly uncomfortably, pulled Weiss and Yang over into a group hug. "There we go," she said, wrapping her arms around them. "Nice and comfy, eh?"

"Everything's always a joke to you, isn't it?" Yang whispered. 

"Roses don't grow in the darkness, do they?" Summer countered, smiling. She hugged them tighter, adding, "And I like to light up the room for you, my little flowers."


	11. Status Quo

As Weiss rose and stretched, she felt like the day was anything but normal. Yet, the sun still shone, the clouds had departed, and the delicious smell meat being cooked filled the house despite the fact of the meeting the night before. She slowly slid out of bed, noting the red and white dress left folded up on a chair for her. She smiled, running a hand across the smooth cloth. "Rush job? This?" She couldn't have sewed something of this quality in a week of work. 

_Though that's probably more a thing with my skill,_ she thought bitterly. She had had her skills, but sewing and anything relating to it were beyond her. She dressed herself, neatly folding the pajamas and laying them where the dress had been put. 

She went down the steps, examining her sleeves. The dress was mostly red, but with white around the wrists, waist, and chest. 

"Morning," Summer said. She was grilling some meat over the stove. "Oh, the dress! You like it, then?"

"Yeah. Why'd...you choose this color scheme?"

"It's my family crest," Summer said. She still hadn't turned to look at Weiss, leaving the young human to wonder how the old vampire knew she was wearing the dress. "It was the, uh, only pattern I knew."

"It's not the pattern your dress uses," Weiss noted. 

"I didn't make this thing," Summer replied. "Yang's still in bed, and Tai and Ruby are out doing combat practice." Weiss looked out the window, then stumbled back as a bright red blast of light hit and cracked the window. The open shutters shook as Summer sighed. She stepped over, yelling out, "Watch it! Glass is hard to come by, as _you know!_ " She slammed the window shut, then turned to look Weiss with a sheepish smile. 

"What the hell was that?" Weiss burst out with. 

"It's fine, it's okay," Summer said hurriedly, holding up her hands. "Just a stray magic bolt."

Weiss wasn't sure why Summer was overly comforting, but then a thought occurred to her. _The previous day...she said..."you also have a rough time of it" or something like that? I thought she'd been referring to the mob...what if she suspects...?_ As much as she liked the Rose family so far, she greatly wished most of her childhood to be a mystery to them. "Magic?" she asked, trying to change the subject. 

"Right, you don't know about any of that..." Summer scratched her head, having been completely derailed from her previous train of thought. Weiss almost couldn't believe it as Summer began to explain magic. _Is she that distractable? I just said one thing and--_

_And maybe I'm overthinking it. Being overly paranoid. Worried over nothing._

Maybe Summer had found out about her past. Maybe she'd guessed. Whatever the case, worrying about it wouldn't do anything. 

"--so yes, controlling magical energies with your fingertips is difficult and hard to aim at times, it's really no big worry," Summer explained. Weiss suddenly realized that she hadn't listened to anything about vampire magic. And she couldn't ask about it again without admitting she hadn't listened. 

"Hmm," she said. 

"You didn't understand a word of that, did you?" Summer said, rubbing her face. 

"I...didn't quite catch it, no."

Summer sighed. "Magic is everywhere. It permeates the air around you, it soaks into the ground. Vampires, being magical in nature, can tap into and manipulate it." She held up her hand, and glowing white lines appeared around her arm. They curled and looked almost like vines. "Magic energy." A glowing white rose appeared over her palm, spinning slowly around. Summer handed it over to Weiss. "Most vampires simply use it to throw blasts of energy at people. Fortunately for training purposes, it doesn't hurt vampires any more than a slap does."

"What about people?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"...if the magic is fashioned into a weapon, it will act accordingly," Summer said. "I fashioned this into a rose. It looks pretty. That's it."

Weiss took it. It felt...warm. 

"Not so complicated, eh?" Summer said with a grin. "Okay, so that's the simple description of magic. More experience with it means you can do more, and of course, blood." She hesitated. She stepped away, the rose and vines vanishing as she began moving the grilled meat to a bowl. 

"Something bothering you?" Weiss asked. 

"Queen Salem banned vampires from drinking human blood, after the war," Summer whispered. "But during the war, it was allowed. Generally frowned upon, but allowed. Blake...I told her she shouldn't, that it was a bad idea. She said...'you do what you need to'." Summer paused, going rigid. "Human blood made Blake very powerful indeed," she said. "I wonder what power she's gained from drinking vampire blood."

"Does it work like that?" Weiss asked. 

"Humans have powerful souls--and a lot of vampire-hating Christians would give you appropriately racist reason why--but vampires are innately magic. We live and operate on magic. Everything does, really, but vampires more so. So by drinking vampire blood, she essentially drank pure magic." Summer drew her lips to a line. 

"What is the chance--that she succeeds? In--her revolution?" Weiss asked. 

"Slim," Summer replied. "Assuming she manages to beat Salem, I doubt she'd ever retain power for long. But a lot of people are going to die in the mean time."

"Couldn't you warn Salem? So she can send someone to stop her?"

"First, that would make Blake target us," Summer replied. "Which I couldn't deal with. Second, I can't travel--the leg, remember? So it would be Taiyang alone, or Taiyang with you guys. Neither of which could manage to get to Salem before Blake intercepted them--she said she has three people on her side, too, which causes more worries on my end. Third, as I told her, I don't care one way or the other. My endgame involves sitting comfortably in my little castle here for the rest of my days. Now come, they're waiting on breakfast. Can't believe I stopped to chat for so long." 

Weiss picked up Summer's cane and handed it to the vampire. "Do you need this?" she asked. 

Summer hesitated, then took it. "Thank you, Weiss."

Weiss smiled. "You're welcome."


	12. Get Schooled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I did when writing SPDR, I plan on designing RWBY: Combat Ready decks for team JNPR. The problem being I'm not entirely sure how to go about it as they are not my characters. I'm open for suggestions on how it should go!

Yang opened her eyes, well aware that breakfast had probably already been served. She slowly sat up, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She shuffled out of bed and down to the kitchen. Summer had set her out a thing of coffee to brew. Yang glared at the coffee a minute before giving in and pouring herself a cup. She had no clue why Summer insisted on setting up her coffee every day. _I'm the kid her husband had with another woman,_ she thought bitterly, _why does she act like she gives a damn about me?_

Yang was baffled by this question. She'd asked herself it many times before. She'd never been able to answer it. Seeing the kitchen empty, she decided to check outside in the unofficial training grounds. In truth, the 'grand tour' they'd given Weiss covered only the castle, and the garden. It hadn't covered much of the area they used of the surrounding wood, and wherever the hell Summer got the food from. 

"--be great with a sword, I can tell," Ruby's voice came. "I can teach you!"

"You?" Weiss answered. As Yang came outside, she saw Ruby swishing around a wooden practice blade. A bowl of grilled meat was set out on a table, with a cover on it. Real and practice weapons leaned against the house walls beside the table. 

"Morning," Taiyang called out to her. Yang gave him a wave, then found Summer. Summer leaned casually on her scythe, using it like her cane. The tip was actually embedded in the ground, and she had a big, dorky grin on her face. 

"Hi, Yang!" Ruby called out. "Tell Weiss I know how to use a sword!"

"Aren't you better with the scythe?" Yang asked. 

"You don't use weapons, yet you still know how to swing a sword," Ruby pointed out. 

"I fight hand to hand because while I may be without a sword, I'll never be without my fists," Taiyang pointed out, jabbing the air with his fists. 

"Is that a challenge?" Summer asked with a grin. 

Ignoring the exchange, Weiss said, " _You_ want to teach _me_ how to use a sword?"

"Yeah!"

"She is actually pretty good," Yang conceded. Weiss was a mystery to her--she had learned how to tell what mood each of her family members was in, and how to worsen or improve it. The problem with Weiss was that Yang rarely had the slightest inkling how she was feeling. Weiss was a fortress, closed off to the outside world. 

"You start with your stance," Ruby instructed, demonstrating. "One foot forward, sword out..."

"Like this?" Weiss asked dryly. She immediately entered a perfect swordsman's stance. 

"Oh, yeah! You're a natural, Weiss!"

Summer straightened, looking at the two with concern. 

"So, try to break through my guard," Ruby said, handing a wooden practice blade to Weiss. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya!"

Weiss took the sword, then allowed herself a grin. She gave the wooden blade a swish as Ruby said, "Get used to it. I'm ready whenever...you...are..." She trailed off as Weiss spun the sword around. Then Weiss lunged. Ruby barely blocked, and as Weiss passed _behind_ the vampire, Ruby's eyes trailed to a wooden splinter that flew off into the air. 

Ruby spun, swiping at Weiss. Weiss parried, then thrust forward towards Ruby. Ruby backed off, blocking Weiss's attacks. Weiss jumped and struck straight downwards at Ruby. Ruby stepped back and, with a cocky grin, hooked her sword around Weiss's. Her grin stopped the moment she saw Weiss's grin.

With a move that Ruby couldn't even figure out how to begin to perform, Weiss knocked Ruby's sword straight out of her hand and into the air. She caught it and put it up to Ruby's neck. "Did I do alright?" she asked dryly. 

"Uncle," Ruby croaked in surprise. 

"Holy fffff..."

" _Yang._ " Summer's stern voice interrupted the dhampir's curse. Rolling her eyes, Yang said, " _Frik."_

"Where did you learn to use a sword?" Summer burst out. "It took me ten years of practice before I could even figure out _how_ to do something like that."

"Father had my training under a fencing master," Weiss replied. "Ten years, last Tuesday."

A second mention to this 'father'. Yang frowned, feeling as if something was off about him. 

"He must have cared for you quite a bit, then," Ruby said, taking her sword back from Weiss. 

Weiss stiffened, and her smile became noticeably forced. Not enough for Ruby to pick up, however. "Everyone cares about someone," she said icily. 

"Weiss, are you bleeding?"

All other thoughts vanished as Yang stepped closer. There was indeed a cut on Weiss's hand. "I...had a blister that I'd forgotten till now," she admitted. "The wooden swords are rather poorly made, all things considered."

"You try woodworking sometime," Taiyang muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Yang grabbed Weiss's hand by the wrist, examining it. "What are you doing?" Weiss asked quietly. 

"It's not even that deep," Yang said, flabbergasted. She wiped the blood off, letting her magic flow. The wound sealed itself. 

Weiss's jaw dropped. "How..."

"Ooh, ooh, I know this," Summer said, clapping her hands together. Her scythe's blade was embedded in the ground, holding itself up enough for Summer to sit on it. "You know how I explained vampire magic earlier? Dhampir magic is its own thing. Instead of manipulating magical energies, dhampirs can control blood and flesh." She stopped abruptly. "Okay, it sounds more macabre and messed up than it sounds cool, but hey. Your hand is done bleeding."

"What are you going to do with that?" Weiss asked, looking at the spilled blood. Yang held up her hand, and the blood floated off it. It twisted and coiled into a star shape before freezing. Yang handed it to her. Weiss shuddered. "Yikes."

Yang walked away and past her, sitting down beside the meat. "It looks kinda creepy, yeah."

"Dhampir magic is badass," Summer said. "Yang's been healing herself and Ruby both from cuts and scrapes for years, and that's only just skimming the top of its power."

Weiss set the blood star down on a rock and sat by it. 

Summer lifted the scythe, moving through a flow of practice motions. "I'm out of practice with this," she said. "But the motions are coming back."

"Why are you suddenly back into practicing with that?" Ruby asked curiously. 

"I felt like it was a good idea, y'know?"

"Does it have anything to do with Blake?" Weiss asked. 

Yang looked at Summer to see her reaction. She hadn't stopped, but her lips were in a fine line. "I figured there was no harm in being safe," she said carefully. She twirled the scythe above her head, then continued. "She...I don't think we count as friends anymore, but we're not enemies either. I don't want to fight her, and vice versa, but I don't know what she might do next."

Yang returned her gaze to Weiss. She was definitely curious about her. She hadn't been out in the world before. She knew nothing of what Weiss could be. A soldier's daughter? Merchant? Jeweler? All the books she'd read couldn't help her now. 

Yang looked away to avoid Weiss catching her staring. She leaned back against the wall as she tuned back into the conversation. Or at least, tried to before noticing a peculiar smell. A human. 

She stood up, frowning as she stared into the forest. Summer followed her gaze and noticed the horse rider moving along the path. "Who is she?" Summer asked. "And what does she want?"

"Let's ask her," Taiyang said, stepping towards the path as the rider arrived. 


	13. Memory Lane

"Yo," the rider said. She was a young woman, with ginger hair and light green eyes. A large metal hammer was strapped to her back, and she carried a sword at her hip. She wore a white shirt and skirt, with reinforcing chain mail visible. "This is House Rose...right? I mean, it has their big logo thing."

"Yup," Taiyang said. "That's us. What do you want?" 

"I have a message for..." The rider paused, grimacing as she pulled out a letter. "Summer Rose? Yeah, her."

Summer stepped forward, holding out a hand. The rider hesitated, shrugged, then handed the letter to her. Summer read it slowly, a smile creeping up her face. "Li sent this?"

The rider nodded. 

"Oof. A little late." She handed it back. "We already knew that, but tell him the thought is appreciated, miss...?"

"Valkyrie," she replied. She turned her horse around, calling out, "Later, nerds!"

"What was the message?" Taiyang asked. Without looking, Summer handed him the letter. He read it, then frowned. "He was warning us about Blake?" he asked. "Where'd he meet her?"

"You know Li Ren?" Weiss asked, sounding surprised. Summer turned to her. "How do you know him?"

"He was in my village," Weiss replied. "I never met him, but I'd heard of him. Basically anyone who fought vampires is heralded, and he was a chief general in the war."

"...that's how I know him," Summer replied. "A good eighteen years ago. He learned that Tai and I were living here, and came out to see us." Noticing that everyone was staring at her, she sighed. "Let's head in. It's a long story, and you'll want to be sitting for this."

"To begin with...the war had recently ended. Two years prior, peace had been declared. I had just gotten together with Tai. And at the time, Blake was living in the woods in a wooden hut. Thinking of it, she might still live there. To the point, we had not yet had...our falling out. But Li...he thought that he ought to check out the vampires living the forest. Just to check..."

The black building sat in front of Li. It wasn't the biggest building he'd ever seen, but it was certainly bigger than he'd anticipated. He looked at the door, frowning as he examined the cobblestone path. It looked years old--but it had only been there a week. Someone had underwent a lot of work making this place look like it had been here longer than it actually had. 

Li kept his sword within arms reach, but was careful to keep the blade was showing. _They probably don't want a fight,_ he thought to himself. He strode up and knocked on the door. 

The last person he expected to open it was the War Rose. The two silver eyes looked him up and down as he took an alarmed step back, suddenly wishing he'd brought a dozen men with him as well as the sword. 

"You shot me with an arrow," Summer accused. 

"I do not regret what I did during the war," Li replied warily. 

"Whaddya want, buddy? Cuz let me tell you, this is not the day to come and bother me over some petty bullshit."

"I heard that vampires had started living here, so I came to welcome them if they were good, and warn them against doing anything...bad." He stopped. "Yet I know you have honor, so. There we are." He removed his hand from his sword hilt. "I hope you enjoy your time here."

Summer looked surprised. "You're...interesting, I'll give ya that. Summer Rose," she introduced, extending a hand. 

"Li Ren," he exchanged, shaking her hand. 

"You want a cup of tea?" Summer offered. "I'd like to talk to you a little more."

"Tea would be lovely, if you're willing to have me," Li offered. Summer stepped inside, opening the door for him. "I apologize for the bareness. This building didn't exist in a livable condition until very recently, so I haven't had much time to customize it."

"Actually, this is the level of decoration I keep my house at," Li admitted. "I may have wealth, but I think of myself a simple man."

"Fitting, because I am a simple man who finds himself wealthy," a new voice said. "Taiyang Xiao Long. Please to meet you."

"Li Ren," the former general said with a nod. "I came to welcome you to the forest, and to wish you luck while living here."

"So if we live elsewhere, you don't wish us luck?" Taiyang said, aghast. 

"I meant no disrespect--"

"It was a joke," Taiyang chuckled. 

"Oh." Li laughed. "Well, you got me there."

"Have a seat..." Summer stumbled, but righted herself as she picked up a cane. 

"Last I saw you," Li said, taking the offered seat, "you didn't need the cane."

"Things change over time, General Li," Summer said. She seated herself down on a third chair. Li looked over to Tai, and then to the small infant he was holding. 

"That's our little Yang," Summer said. "She's just the cutest little thing, isn't she?" She leaned over and began tickling Yang's face. 

Yang chomped hard on Summer's finger. 

"Ow! You little bitch!" Summer shook her hand off, pulling it away from the infant Yang. The baby cooed. 

"I have a kid about her age," Li said with a nod. He didn't add that the baby did not look anything like Summer and he'd never heard of any baby that reacted like that to its mother. 

Moreover, the kid was a dhampir. Just like...

"Are you one of Summer's friends?" Li asked, turning around and looking through the room. He heard Summer sniffing as one of the shadows in the corner of his eyes moved. Two yellow eyes focused on him. 

"Blake?" Summer asked. 

"Who is this?" Blake asked quietly. The Butcher of Menagerie crept into the open, hand on her sword. 

"I am Li Ren, I--"

"Li Ren?" she hissed. She turned to Summer. "One of the human generals? This man is responsible for the death of our brethren..."

"Well, right now he came out here to welcome us to our new homes," Summer said, leaning against the back of her chair. "Not many people have that kind of personality, y'know."

"I am not one of them," Blake hissed, stepping closer. "You will find I have little sympathy for those with the blood of my brothers on their hands."

"Didn't your Queen strike first?" Li asked. 

Blake stiffened. 

"Both sides did horrible things," Li said. "Let us forget the evil of the past and bring kindness to the future."

Blake snorted at that, leaving out the front door. 

"Blake is a bit...extremist." Summer shrugged. "I'll make that tea now..."

"Actually, I probably ought to head back," Li said apologetically. "I wasn't thinking. I didn't plan on spending more than a minute here, I need to head home before my wife starts worrying." He got up and gave her a half-bow. "Till next time."

"Wait, wait, wait a minute," Weiss interrupted, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "So when you told me you hadn't spoken to Blake in decades...you meant two. Under two decades."

"I was rounding up," Summer said, sipping her tea. "And hey, I'm allowed to forget a few things, aren't I?"

"That's how we met Li," Tai said. "We spoke to him a few more times, but not in a few years."

"I'm not sure how he knew Blake was in the area," Summer said with a shrug. "But it doesn't matter, really."

"Baby Yang must have been so cute!" Ruby squealed. 

"Her bites hurt like a son of a bitch, but I feel like by the end of the day, it was worth," Summer said, giving her stepdaughter a smile. Yang awkwardly returned it, then stretched. "I'm...gonna go draw. Call me if you need me." Yang went up the steps as Weiss thought. 

_Everyone has their inner complications about how they work--how they see the world. So what color is it through Blake's lens?_


	14. The Worst Breakfast

Blake had killed a lot of people before. Some of them had even deserved it. The rest? Either they had been in her way, or she needed an example. As she crept across the roof of the Schnee Manor, she idly considered that Jacques Schnee definitely deserved it. The young Schnee at Summer's house was no vampire--and she seemed defiant when Blake had looked at her. So it was clear what Jacques had done. 

Blake did not care for the Schnee family, as a whole. Which is why they were her target tonight. 

None of the guards noticed her, of course. The ones that did had been bribed in advance. They were to head out of the village at after she left--the fools hadn't even noticed she was a dhampir. 

_If they had, that would have caused problems, as I am not here to steal jewelry as I told them,_ she thought. Unfortunately for them, they were not getting 'their cut'.

The window was easily opened. Jacques' back was turned to it, but he noticed as the window opened. He narrowed his eyes as he searched the room, but after a minute, closed the window back and muttered something about, "Damnable slacking servants."

Within a minute, he was hurtling out the window to his death. Blake crept out and was gone again. She doubted even the guards she'd bribed saw her on the way out--and even if they had, what would they do? Admit that they'd been bribed? There was so little honor in the world...and the people that did have it wouldn't do work for a Schnee. 

_Well...maybe there's_ one _Schnee they'd assist,_ Blake thought, thinking back to a meeting she'd had a week prior. The swords-woman had been talented...but unfortunately, unwilling to join Blake's side. Blake landed in the street, dusting herself off. No one had seen her, so she began walking. Someone on a casual stroll was a lot less suspicious than someone sneaking along the roof tops. 

Besides, the moon was beautiful tonight.

Weiss had been told that time flew by you. As far as she'd been concerned, all of her days were the same, long, strenuous torture. Her few days at House Rose, however, had flown by and they'd barely been filled. This day was slightly different, however. This day...she and Yang had made plans. Yang had been struggling finding something to paint, so Weiss had suggested painting herself. They'd said they'd do the painting after breakfast. 

It was really starting to feel like...maybe she could actually live here. Live here and enjoy it. It was an odd thought. Weiss had also been told that 'home is where the heart is'. If so, her heart certainly wasn't back at the manor. 

Had it been here?

Having gotten dressed, she stepped out of her room and made her way towards the kitchen. Today, Taiyang was the cook. Summer and Yang were nowhere to be seen, while Ruby was in her chair already. 

"Morning," Taiyang said with a nod. "Not having Summer's talent for cooking, I decided to make a simple porridge for breakfast."

"Where _is_ Summer?" Weiss asked, sitting at her spot at the table. 

"She is taking a mandatory day off," Taiyang said casually. "This happens every once in a while--she needs to sleep and recover a bit."

"Older people usually get tired more often," Weiss agreed. Taiyang hesitated--causing Weiss to realize what she'd said. _Shouldn't have mentioned the age._ "Sorry, I--"

"We all knew it was going to happen eventually," Taiyang interrupted. "It's fine." He continued stirring the pot. "Someone's up early."

Weiss hadn't noticed Yang coming down, but the dhampir resumed her seat at the table. After a moment, she frowned, then sighed. "I don't suppose either of you set a thing of coffee brewing?"

"I did, but I don't know how you like it," Ruby said with a shrug. 

"Easy to pour," Yang replied, getting up to pour herself some. 

"Did you get enough sleep?" Taiyang asked, concern dripping into his voice. 

"Actually, I did," Yang replied. "Had a weird-ass dream, but I'm shockingly well rested." She sat down and sipped her coffee. "Did I miss anything important?"

"Just in time for breakfast, actually," Taiyang replied, putting four bowls of porridge on the table. 

"Aren't you rich, Weiss?" Ruby asked. 

"Was," Weiss replied. 

"Then I suppose you're used to higher quality food than this, huh?" Ruby said, taking her bowl. 

Weiss snorted. "Please, I can deal." She took a bite, and immediately gagged. She coughed, and with visible difficulty, swallowed the bite. 

"I was mostly joking there, but okay." Ruby took a bite, and immediately spat it back out. "Bleh! What the heck?"

Yang calmly took a bite of hers, nodded, then said, "You forgot salt."

Taiyang slapped a hand against his face. "Goddamn it," he muttered. Yang simply continued eating the porridge. "This is why Summer's the cook," Yang stated. 

Weiss had noted before that Yang never called Summer 'Mom'. _She isn't her mother, I suppose,_ she thought, taking a bite of the porridge. She shuddered, but managed to avoid spitting it out and swallow it. 

"It can't be that bad," Taiyang muttered, taking a bite of his porridge. He covered his mouth, ran to the window, and spat it out. 

Weiss had once had a bloody lip, and upon trying to eat, all her food tasted like blood. That had been preferable to Taiyang's cooking. 

_And on the topic of drinking blood..._

"Didn't you say you drank lamb's blood?" Weiss asked. "I haven't actually seen you guys doing that. Is it...like...a once a week thing?"

"We started doing it at night," Ruby replied. "Y'know, to, uh, not freak you out."

"The thought is appreciated," Weiss said, who didn't want to insult their kindness but knew that it would freak her out. She pushed the porridge away, saying, "Whenever you're ready to do the painting, I'm ready."

Yang pushed her food away. "Once I finish my coffee, we can do that," she said. 


	15. Talks over the Stroke of a Pen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh! Takes forever to write chapters then writes two in a day and gets started on a third. Make up your mind, Jevil!
> 
> And for anyone interested in what music I listen to while writing, I actually save most of them as playlists on YouTube. You  
> can see them here...since this isn't my content, and I'm not getting payed for it, I feel like it's okay to put this here.  
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCWh_vahr_zTTwyiM0lM73A/playlists?view_as=subscriber

Weiss had been painted before, but never by anyone she knew. All those faceless painters looking for money and fame and she never remembered...Yang was the first that she actually wanted the picture to her turn out well for. She sat perfectly still, hands in her lap, looking out to the side. 

"You're a natural at this," Yang commented. "I've never been able to paint Ruby, and even Dad and Summer fidget too much to make this easy." When Weiss didn't reply, you can speak. I painted your face first. I learned the hard way that Summer doesn't spend long without talking."

"Not my first time being painted," Weiss replied casually. 

"Really?" Yang asked. "Summer said that the paints and sketchbooks are expensive--so I can assume that paintings aren't cheap, right?"

"My father...had a lot of money," Weiss explained. She didn't want to give too much info on her family--she didn't need more of House Rose's pity. 

"I guess Dad and Summer are rich," Yang said as she painted. "I mean, I never really thought about it, but...all the food and supplies...and hell, my painting stuff, too. None of that grows on trees, and neither does money."

"I imagine Miss Summer was paid a lot of money for her efforts during the war," Weiss said. 

"That would mean Blake was also paid a lot, huh?" Yang hesitated. "Geez. Imagine accidentally funding the people rebelling against you."

"That...would not be pleasant," Weiss agreed. 

There was a moment of silence from Yang. When she spoke, she asked, "What...was your village like?"

"I never went out much," Weiss said. "Nor did I have what one would consider a 'normal' life, Yang."

"You are here, aren't you?" Yang asked with a shrug. "I figured it wasn't normal. But the abnormal will--" She paused, and Weiss sneaked a glance at her. Yang was frowning at one spot, carefully painting a moment. "That collar is nightmarishly hard to paint," she stated. "What was I saying? Oh, right. I can learn what's normal if I can learn what's abnormal. We've got a lot of books in this library, but none of them tell me what a normal life looks like. I asked Summer what her childhood was like one time. She doesn't really remember too much of it, it turns out. 'Course, when you're a hundred-and-thirty-something years old, I imagine that would be a few too many things to keep track of, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah." 

"Weiss...do you..."

Weiss waited for her to finish, and when she didn't, said, "Go on."

"Never mind."

Weiss had a sudden moment of stubbornness. Before, her defiance had always brought consequences. Now, she freely said, "Too late. I'm curious now. What were you asking?"

Yang chuckled. "It was just...I was wondering if you missed them. Your...family."

Weiss looked back at Yang. Yang had a distressed look on her face, and avoided meeting Weiss's gaze. Weiss's mood plummeted, and her stomach did an uncomfortable flip. "Somehow, I feel like you already know the answer, don't you?"

Yang didn't answer. 

"When did you figure out, and what _did_ you figure out?" Weiss asked coldly. Colder than she meant. 

"It was...little things. Or, Summer seemed to think so. She said...she didn't think you had a happy life. Even before you...got kicked out." Yang hesitated. "She expressed concern that this 'father' you keep mentioning might be abusive."

"She brought this up in front of all of you?" When Yang nodded, Weiss facepalmed. "Thanks, Summer. Like I needed that."

"Um...Weiss...?"

"What?" Weiss shot Yang a glare. 

"Would you mind...moving your hand back? I was in the middle of painting it."

"...oh."

"Sorry for bringing that up," Yang apologized, returning to her painting. "I get it's a sensitive topic for you. I just...felt like confirming it, y'know?"

"I am fine, and to answer your question, no. No, I don't miss any of them. In fact, the only one I'd still be willing to call family left long ago." Weiss turned her steel gaze onto Yang, and found her blue eyes staring into the dhampir's lilac ones. "As far as I'm concerned, you four are my family now," Weiss said, quieter. 

"Aw." Yang looked down at her painting, frowning. "Mm...I think it turned out okay. We'll see once it dries."

Weiss rose, walking over to where Yang sat. "Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't make a big deal of this," she said. "I don't need you guys fussing and worrying over me more than you already have. Kay?"

"Got it. I'll let Summer know how you feel. Er...is that okay?"

"Yes." Weiss looked at the painting. "You're good," she said. "It takes skill to paint like that."

"Much practice," Yang said. "I've spent a while learning little tips, neat tricks..." 

Weiss smiled. "You have a cute smile," Yang said with a matching grin. 

"Do not," Weiss said, her good mood instantly vanishing. 

Yang let loose a snort that did her spiritual pig brethren proud. "As the one who can see it, Ice Queen, yes, you do have a cute smile."

"Ice Queen?"

There was a long quiet moment of silence. "Um..." Yang gulped. "I...uh...don't know where that came from. It just sorta...slipped out..."

Weiss smiled. "That's fair." She turned and began perusing through the book shelves. "These are...by vampires?"

"Most of 'em."

"That'll be interesting," Weiss said, picking one that looked interesting. "Tell me if you want to do another painting sometime, Yang. That was...fun."

"Will do," Yang said, leaning back and stretching. 

_I never had fun doing any of those sittings for my father,_ Weiss thought. _Yes. These vampires...these people...are my family now._


	16. Lucky Number Thirteen

Thirteen days. Almost two whole weeks had Weiss been living in House Rose. And they had been wonderful. She sat in the drawing room, sipping a cup of tea with Ruby. Summer was sitting on a third chair, sleeping peacefully. Yang was up painting, and Tai was in the garden keeping everything watered. 

Like most of the days at the vampire's house, nothing was happening. It was nice to be able to relax sometimes. 

Up until she heard the hoof beats, of course. Summer woke with a start, looking up in alarm. There was the faint sound of talking, and Tai definitely sounded annoyed. After a moment, he came in, saying, "It's that Valkyrie woman again. Says she has a message for Weiss this time."

"What is it?" Weiss asked curiously. 

"No clue. Says it's for, 'Schnee and Schnee alone', won't tell me." Tai shrugged. "It looks like you'll have to come out here."

With a sigh, Weiss set down her tea and got up. "This shouldn't take long."

Ruby deflated, but nodded. 

Valkyrie had got down from her horse, leaning against a tree at the edge. She was dressed like the last time Weiss had seen her, and armed the same. "Are you just going to be a regular thing in my life now?" Weiss asked, putting a hand on her hip. 

"I hope not," Valkyrie said. "I'm a bodyguard, not a messenger, and it's not exactly a short trip." 

"Well?" Weiss said. 

Valkyrie's eyes flickered to Tai, but she said nothing about him. "Li thought someone needed to tell you," she said, "but your father...is dead."

Weiss blinked. "Sickness?" 

"Murder," Valkyrie said with a nod. "Thrown from the top floor. No one has been able to figure out how the assassin got in. Li figured you'd want to know, whether you celebrate or mourn, and he figured to warn you. In case the killer comes here."

Weiss stumbled back a little as Valkyrie hopped onto her horse. She hesitated, then added, "I...Li said this didn't mean anything, but the killer had claws. That description seems familiar to me."

"Blake?" Weiss asked slowly. 

Valkyrie didn't answer, and simply rode away. 

"I'm...sorry to hear this," Tai began. 

"I'm fine," Weiss said, waving him off. "Just...a little shocked. It was a bit...sudden."

"Are you really fine?" Tai asked slowly. 

"Yang told me you already figured out my... _difficult_ childhood," Weiss said slowly.

"Was he that bad?"

"Yeah. I'm not going to miss him." Weiss leaned against a tree. 

There was a moment of silence. "You need anything?" Tai asked. 

Weiss found her answer--and for the first time in a long time, she said, "I'm good. I'm just going...to go sit down." She passed by him, paused a minute and added before leaving, "If I do need anything, I'll be sure to tell you."

Ruby didn't say anything when Weiss came back in. "I need to go lie down. See you later."

"What did the message say?" Summer asked Tai. 

Tai considered the question. "You can ask her, when she's feeling up to answering," he replied. 

Nora stopped her horse abruptly, frowning. "I can see you, you know," she said. Blake hopped down from a tree, and Nora immediately took her hammer off her back. She hadn't gotten _that_ good of a look at her--certainly not enough to identify them. 

"Since you're heading back to Li now," Blake said, holding up a slip of paper. "Make sure he gets this. I'm not going to be able to deliver it in person, as I have some things I need to do." She came over, handing the letter to Nora. Nora glared down at her, taking it carefully and pocketing the letter. "I'll give it to him," she said carefully. Blake smiled. "You don't trust me," she said. "But you do your duty. You are the kind of person everyone should aspire to be."

"I'm here to deliver a message, not listen to you telling me what a great person I am," Nora said, riding past the dhampir. 

She heard the dhampir chuckle. She quickly rode on, not wishing to spend any more time near her then necessary. 

Weiss had no love for her father. He was dead now. Shouldn't...she celebrate? As Valkyrie said. Why did she just feel numb? 

A knock rang on her door. "Come in," she called out. Yang stepped inside, one arm full of books, the other with a large portrait. "Ruby said you were feeling a little under the weather," she said, balancing the books as she came in. She carefully set the stack down on Weiss's bed. "So, uh, there were a few books I always grab when I'm feeling down, so I thought...maybe I should just bring them to you." She hefted the portrait. "And I thought you might like this..."

It was the painting she'd made of Weiss. Weiss smiled. "Thanks." She set the painting on the opposite side of the bed, leaning it against the wall. This room had no portraits or decorations...and as arrogant as it sounded, the painting of herself would brighten it up quite a bit. 

Yang sat down next to her. "Is there...anything you want to talk about?"

"Not really," Weiss replied. 

"You have a family that cares about you now," Yang said, leaning against Weiss. "If you ever need any of us, we're here for you."

Weiss leaned back against Yang. "I know," she said, trying not to cry. She wasn't even sure why she was about to cry. She didn't feel sad. She wasn't even that distressed. She shuddered a bit, but managed to calm herself down. 

For once, she had no need to cry. But if she ever wanted to...couldn't she? Couldn't she let loose her anger and frustration? She relaxed against Yang. "Thanks," she said quietly, voice choking up. 

"I'm always here for you," Yang said back. 


	17. Massacre

Ren was annoyed. Nora could tell, and she knew why. Partly because she had been there and heard what had made him annoyed, but also because she knew her man. 

"Our family has always gone to the hunt," Ren said. "Always. Since the annual deer hunt was started."

"Well, this year, they're not." 

"Why? What could have been in that letter from this Blake person?" Ren turned to Nora, who shrugged. 

"I must admit, I have no clue," she said. "Li has not told me anything that he hasn't told you."

"..."

"Ren?" 

Ren was gone. "Oh, come on! How am _I_ the responsible one out of the two of us?" Nora burst out, following where she knew Ren had gone. 

She caught up to him even before he reached the woods. At least he'd brought his weapon--the weird, crossbow-dagger contraption that she had no idea how he fired. 

"Ren--" she told him. "--we kinda need to go back."

"Why?" Ren spun and looked straight in her eyes. "He didn't say I _couldn't,_ did he?"

"Uh, that's...kinda exactly what he said." Ren ignored this, continuing to move ahead. "You know how much I hate being the responsible one, but we really, really need to--" She stopped abruptly. _Blood._ The scent of it was strong. There was a lot of it, close by. 

She drew her sword, moving ahead of Ren. She moved through the brush and stumbled onto a massacre. Dozens of bodies, lying on the ground. All the nobles that had decided to go on the deer hunt, and their guards. All of them were dead. And there was a figure standing alive. Two burning yellow eyes glared back at them. "Hmm?" Blake turned, sword drawn. "You two. Li's kid...and his bodyguard." She grimaced. Then she lunged. Nora parried the attack, moving past and around the dhampir, dodging and blocking. One of Ren's crossbow bolts narrowly missed the dhampir, who backed off from Nora to look at Ren. She lunged for Ren, but Nora jumped behind her and thrust her sword through Blake's neck. The dhampir fell, gasping and gurgling. Nora flipped her onto her back and punched her hard in the face, feeling the nose break beneath her fist. She ran, grabbing Ren's shoulder as she passed. "Come on! We're getting out of here!"

"Wait, can't we--" Nora tackled him. Just in time, as a streamer of blood passed narrowly over the two of them, biting deep into a tree. Chips of bark flung into the air as Nora dragged Ren deeper into the forest. "That's not going to keep her down for long," Nora explained quietly. "But the broken nose will keep her from pursuing us. She can't heal that."

"You shoved a sword through her neck," Ren said. 

"Now is not the time for this," Nora said, dragging him behind a tree and looking behind them. "She was aiming ahead of where we were moving--so we couldn't move directly back home." _Which is probably what she was aiming for,_ Nora didn't say aloud. She'd lost her childhood optimism long ago, but she wasn't about to give up. "We can outmaneuver her," she said. "She's probably tired, and she's not going to be able to track us easily. Then, we head on for home."

"And what if we can't?" Ren asked. 

"Rennie, there are some questions that don't have good answers, and you'll find that most of them don't need 'em," Nora replied. 

Ren loaded another bolt into his weapon. 

"The stars are really beautiful," Weiss acknowledged. The small tree they were in was perfect for seeing the stars...an activity Weiss had seldom had the time or caring for in the past, but one in which Ruby apparently found joy. 

"Yang doesn't often come out to look at them, cuz, well, you know," Ruby shrugged. "Is only awake sixteen hours a day. Anyone else, I'd say was either lazy or had a problem."

"Yang kind of does have a problem though," Weiss replied. 

"That 'problem' happens to be her existence, so we don't count it," Ruby laughed. 

Weiss winced. "I'd imagine that would be something you don't count," she replied. Ruby didn't answer, and instead rose, balancing on the branch and sniffing the air. "Ruby?" Weiss asked worriedly. "What is it?"

"I smell blood," Ruby said slowly. She jumped down from the tree. Weiss followed at a slower pace, saying, "We should get Summer," Weiss began, only to be ignored by Ruby, who began walking off into the woods. Weiss considered her options. Either she went and got Summer, leaving Ruby to fend for herself, or she went with Ruby and the two of them would try to help out where they could. 

She really did not like the idea of leaving Ruby to her own devices. She got the impression that while skilled, yes, she was too reckless. Weiss jumped the remaining few feet to the ground, following Ruby. "I think we need to go back and get Summer," Weiss told her. 

"What if we go back and aren't fast enough to save anyone?" Ruby countered, not even slowing down as she shoved through the underbrush. "Now is not the time for being careful--we need to act!" 

Constable Port had once said something similar. It had been in relation to one of his several battle scars. 

_On the other hand, he also said he had no regrets about that,_ Weiss couldn't help but acknowledge. 

Ruby suddenly ducked down, and Weiss followed suit without even thinking about it. A stream _of blood_ whipped through the air above her head and cut deep into the tree the two had weaved around. Weiss rolled to the side, coming up on one knee with a fallen branch in hand. Ruby stood, holding a glowing orb of magic. 

Blake stood in the center of a field of corpses, pulling a whole sword-- _how is she still alive?!?_ \--out of her neck. She casually tossed the blood-soaked weapon to the side, rubbing her throat as she watched Ruby and Weiss from the corner of her eye. In her other hand was a short, wide blade, pitch black. There was a ring in the hilt, and through this ring a stream of blood flowed through the air, spinning around in her in a spiral. "You two?" Blake said, voice scratchy. "Then where'd they...whatever." 

"What did you do?" Ruby demanded. 

"I said I was starting a war--what did you think I was going to do?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow. She hefted her sword, and pointed it at the dead people. "Can you think of many empires that weren't built on the bodies of the innocent?"

"They _shouldn't_ _,"_ Weiss said. 

"You don't understand," Blake said with a sigh. "Just leave me to my work." She ducked her head aside as a blast of red energy went past her head. She turned and stared aghast at Ruby. "I am going to give you one chance," she said slowly, "to turn around. Neither of you need to die, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"I am going to stop you," Ruby declared. "This ends _now._ "

There was a long silence. Blake scoffed, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "You sound just like your mother. All high and mighty." She tightened her grip around her sword hilt, sighed, and said, "Sorry, Summer."


	18. Forever Fallen

Blake struck first, lashing out with the stream of blood attached to her weapon. Ruby ducked beneath it, fired once, but then had to move farther away as Blake's ribbon kept lashing out. She ducked backwards and around, then jumped farther out of range so Blake couldn't attack. Blake rushed in, closing the twenty foot gap in seconds, and struck at Ruby once again. Ruby held up her hands and a field of light red light blocked Blake's sword. The streamer bounced lightly off the shield, producing a loud ringing sound. Blake kept striking, not relenting for even a second and continuing to hammer Ruby's shield. 

Blake had almost forgotten about Weiss, but turned her attention off of Ruby long enough to turn and parry Weiss's blade--one she'd picked up from one of Blake's victims. Blake attacked, testing Weiss's skill with a critical eye. Her first few attacks she deliberately held back, and was surprised that Weiss not only parried them but found time to attack once herself. Blake leaned her head casually to the side, dodging the sword and striking the Schnee's hand aside. In such close range, the blade of her sword couldn't do anything, so she elbowed Weiss's hand and slashed at her head. Weiss stepped back, playing defensively. Blake spun, dodging a blast from Ruby that narrowly missed hitting Weiss, and slashed her sword at the vampire. Ruby, with a startled cry, ducked, and Blake lunged into melee. 

Summer was a good teacher. Ruby was quick thinking and fast, ducking and dodging around Blake. Blake couldn't properly use her streamer this close to her--but she couldn't really utilize it against a single opponent. 

_Ironically, a single, fast opponent is more troublesome than the twenty soldiers I just killed,_ Blake thought with bitter amusement. Twenty people who needed to die but didn't deserve to. Too much force went into her blade, and it cut deep into the bark of a tree. She wasn't quite fast enough pulling it out, and found Weiss's sword through her chest. The blood coming out her back coiled around the hilt of the sword and Weiss's wrist, eliciting a startled cry from her. Blake slashed at Ruby with her claws, then booted the vampire away when she dodged. Ruby hit a tree, and stumbled, falling off her feet as Blake twisted her arm around and grabbed Weiss by the shoulder. She pulled Weiss to the side, then slid the blade out of her back. "A little word of advice," she said, keeping a firm grip on the Schnee. "Never stab a dhampir--you'll only give them more ammo."

She threw Weiss into a tree, ducking beneath Ruby's blast. She leapt at Ruby, slashing with her claws. Ruby dodged her well enough, but backed up enough to allow Blake to pull her blade out of the tree. She slashed at Ruby, but found herself getting yanked back, off balance. Weiss had tackled her. Had Blake's nose not been broken, she might have noticed but as it was...

She twisted, trying to get the young heiress off her back. Weiss wrapped one arm around Blake's already sore throat, getting a choke hold on the vampire. Blake backed up as Ruby attacked, then Blake slammed her back--and Weiss--into a tree. Weiss's grip immediately relaxed, and Blake grabbed her by the arm and flipped her at Ruby. Ruby hit the ground, Weiss on top of her. Weiss was on her feet in an instant, and off in one as well as Blake threw her backwards with a kick. She flipped her foot downward at Ruby, who rolled to the side as chips of stone flew off the ancient cobbled path. Ruby jumped to her feet, dodging beneath Blake's sword, and losing a strand of hair to the blood streamer. Ruby stumbled, as Blake continued attacking. She created another shield of magic as Blake stabbed. Her sword went through Ruby's shield and hit directly through Ruby's shoulder and pinned her to a tree. Blake lifted a hand to strike. 

"No!" Weiss cried. lunging for Blake. The dhampir moved fast, her claws catching the side of Weiss's head. The human hit the ground with a crack and a splatter of blood. Blake pulled her claws out of the gash on the side of Weiss's head, staring at the blood. 

"Weiss!" Ruby screamed. Blake stepped back, staring at her hand. 

_This is what you chose,_ she reminded herself. _The road to victory is stained with the blood of the innocent._

_Sorry, Sum--_

Something moved behind her. Before she turned around, something heavy and metal hit her stomach, and she was sent rolling across the ground. 

Nora pulled Blake's sword from Ruby's shoulder, tossing the black blade to the side. "Get your friend and go," Nora told her, hefting her hammer. "See if you can get your mother. I'll do what I can, but..." She parried a hit from the sword, which had floated off the ground and struck once before flying back to Blake. The blood staining the blade smoothly flowed up into the streamer, which floated and coiled through the air around Blake. 

The dhampir was _pissed._ "None of you four needed to get involved," she said. She caught the crossbow bolt Ren fired at her, snapped it, and threw it to the side. "Cuz I noticed _you,"_ she said, shooting a glare at the tree Ren was hiding behind.

"Eyes on me, ugly," Nora spat, lunging. Blake ducked back from the hammer, twisting and avoiding the blunt weapon. Blake moved past Nora, landing on her opposite side and striking as she passed. The blade drew sparks against the hammer, which Nora moved to hit Blake as she landed on her feet. Blake quickly fell into a roll, landed on her hands, then flipped and landed on top of the hammer as it hit the ground. She swung a kick up at Nora's face, but the bodyguard moved around it and lifted the hammer into the air, throwing Blake with a grunt of effort. Blake landed on the ground and stumbled, panting. She again dodged Ren's shot, which embedded itself in the tree behind her.

"Ren!" Nora cried. "Go! You can't do anything to her!"

Blake paused, seeming to take that in. Ruby lifted her eyes from her crumpled friend, seeing a flash of malicious creativity in the dhampir's brilliant yellow eyes. 

"Watch out!" Ruby cried as Blake moved--and went past Nora. She crossed the battlefield in an instant, attacking Ren. The blade cleaved a branch right off a tree, as Ren fell into a stumble. He frantically moved back and around Blake, trying and failing to put distance between them. Nora jumped in between them, but Blake simply moved around her. 

_How long has she been fighting?_ Ruby thought. _She must have reached her limit now...right?_ But she was still just as fast. Still moving and ducking around Nora.

Nora blocked Gambol Shroud with her hammer. "Ren! Go!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"I can't protect us both!" Nora snapped. "I'm barely holding my own!" 

Blake slashed at Nora's face. Nora stepped back as the sword slashed through the air above her. Towards Ren. Frantic, Nora kicked Ren, knocking him out of the way. Blake jabbed her sword down, narrowly missing Nora as she rolled onto her back and then onto her feet. Nora hit Blake in the head, sending the dhampir stumbling. Nora jumped up, hitting Blake in the back and knocking her down. 

The hammer made a dull _thunk_ as it hit the gray carapace that had rapidly grown over Blake's back. Blake, having recovered far faster than anyone had anticipated, jumped up and ran her sword through Nora's chest.

Several rocks immediately hit Blake, sailing through the air and colliding against her. Blake turned, lifting Nora as a shield as she turned to her new assailants. 

"Put her down!" Li barked, readying another stone with his sling. He and a dozen other soldiers armed with slings had approached through the forest. "Now!"

Blake gritted her teeth, backing up. She whipped the streamer into the woods behind her, then yanked it. She flung back into the shadows, pulling herself and Nora away. 

"Nora!" Ren cried, pulling up his crossbow and firing. The bolt made a whistling sound as it sailed through the woods, but the only other sound was of it hitting a tree. 

Ren stumbled, but Li caught him by the shoulder, shaking his head. "She's gone," was all he said. He turned to Weiss and Ruby, his eyes falling upon the unconscious girl. "We need to--" He cut off, staring at the ground as a rustling sound filled the forest. Glowing white vines grew rapidly along the ground, and then grew up, lifting Li, Ren, and all the soldiers high into the air and binding them. 

Summer landed in front of Ruby and Weiss, falling on her knees. "God, what happened? Are you alright? Why'd they attack?"

"Mom, they didn't attack! Put them down!" Ruby said quickly. The vines slowly disappeared into the ground, slowly lowering their captives. 

"Who did this to you?" Summer asked. 

"Blake," Ruby said quietly. 

Their was a long silence. Ren looked away when he heard an alarming crack, and saw that a group of the white vines had grown around a tree and, with apparent ease, snapped it right in half. 

"You..." Summer said, very quietly, "are in so...much...trouble." In a flash of white petals, she and the two young girls were gone. 


	19. A Black and White View

Weiss slowly woke up with a low humming noise in the background, flashes of Blake striking her filling her mind for a long minute. She reached up and touched where the wound was...but found her path blocked by someone's hand. Cool, strong. "Yang?" she croaked. 

"You're awake?" Yang asked. The humming noise--now she recognized it as indistinct voices--stopped abruptly. 

"What's the damage look like?" Weiss asked. 

"Um...big scar. Nasty looking. Can you see out of that eye?"

"I'll tell you when I decide to open it," Weiss said. 

Yang hesitated. _Thinking of a reply._ "There isn't much funny about this, Weiss," Yang said slowly. "I...I'm not sure how I managed to keep you alive in the first place."

"Sorry," Weiss said. She hesitantly opened her eyes as everything came into focus. She looked up at Yang seeing her yellow-- _and white?_ \--hair. 

"Can you see out of it?" Yang asked. 

"Not colors, but who needs them anyway?" Weiss said with a weak chuckle. 

"Not. Funny." Yang's eyes--Weiss had to turn her head to see both of them with her good eye--were a fierce red. They'd changed off their normal lilac. "Weiss. We were scared for you. I thought--I thought I couldn't..." A tear hit the chair beside Weiss. She slowly sat up. She was in the drawing room. Ruby sat on one of the other chairs, eyes tear stained and puffy, with a bandage wrapped multiple times around her shoulder. Summer paced back and forth, and Tai leaned against the wall, looking down at the ground. 

"Sorry for worrying you," Weiss said, a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach. She had, all too many times, seen her father and family like this. It was never a good sign. 

Yang wiped her eyes. "Dammit. I'm too tired for this."

"WHAT. Were you thinking?" Summer said, turning and looking between Weiss and Ruby. "I told you very specifically...if you see Blake, what do you do?" She threw her hands in the air. "Get the fuck out! I told you, _don't_ fight her."

"We were trying to save--" Ruby began, but Summer cut her off. 

"Save who?" Summer snapped. "The corpses? You think I didn't notice where she was and what she was doing? That close to my house?" There was a long silence. "If all five of us fought her at once, I'd bet a lot on us losing. And you two especially couldn't take her, or even save anyone. In fact, you know that young girl that Blake got? The Valkyrie girl? She and the boy were actually running the other way until they heard your screams. Then, they, like you, played the hero and martyred themselves." She glared at them. "You didn't follow orders, and Valkyrie is dead or, potentially, _worse,_ because of it."

 _Valkyrie?_ When had she gotten involved? _She died for people she barely knew?_

"Don't be heroes," Summer said. "The only place it gets you is a morgue."

"No," Weiss muttered. 

There was a stunned silence. Summer turned to Weiss, eyes wide and furious. 

_This time..._

_It's my turn to be angry._

Weiss stood, stumbled, and found herself supported by Yang. One hand on the blonde's shoulder, she glared Summer down. "The right thing to do is always the right thing to do," she stated. "And I will continue to do the right thing. Blake is a madwoman. She needs to be stopped. You don't think someone should do that?"

"I think it's none of our business--"

"Neither am I," Weiss cried. Summer stepped back, looking aghast. "Just a lonely girl who's father threw her out because she defied him," Weiss stated. "I was none of your business. You could have just as easily left me to die, or sent me to some other place to live. No. You took me in, you were _kind,_ you cared for me." Seeing Summer back up, she added, "But I guess you only did that because it was easy, huh? Because the moment things get tough, you quit. Blake was right about you. You're a coward. Hiding in her castle, hoping the world goes on by without her." Weiss turned and made it two steps before falling. Yang caught her, lifting her up. "You need rest," Yang said. "Here, I'll help you to you're room."

"Thank you," Weiss said. 

It was a short trip up the stairs to the bedrooms, but every step made her ache. Her vision swam. "Careful," Yang cautioned. She picked up Weiss, carrying her bridal style to her bed and setting her down. Yang reached over and touched the scar. "Weiss?"

"Yeah?" 

"I've made your safety and comfort my business," Yang said, kneeling down and grabbing Weiss's hand. "So please, for the love of God, try not to get yourself killed, okay?"

"Wasn't planning on it," Weiss muttered. "I still have a lot to do."

Yang sighed. "I know." When Weiss didn't answer, the dhampir looked up to see the young human sleeping peacefully. Yang smiled, and, with some hesitance, leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Good night."

When Tai had burst into her room, saying Weiss was hurt, all tiredness had instantly vanished. Now, her arms felt leaden. She decided to go straight to her own bed. She thought of Weiss, and thought of how she thought of Weiss. Friend? Closer than that, perhaps? New sister, as Ruby had joked that first day? 

Perhaps the bigger joke was that it didn't matter how she thought of Weiss. Yang didn't want to lose her. 

With a sigh, she drifted off to a restless sleep. 


	20. Rest and Recover

It was never during the fight that you felt tired and sore. No, whenever Weiss had an argument, a fight, a beating...it was always afterwards that the pain kicked in. 

Her face ached. Her shoulder ached where Blake had slammed her into a tree. She slowly sat up, noticing that she had a light migraine in addition to everything else. _Cuz_ _I really need that,_ she thought, annoyed. Her door opened, and she looked up at Yang. Yang was flipping through a book and had a medkit in her arms. "I've...looked through this book on medicine a few times." She shrugged, coming into the room. "I need to check on your injuries, make sure everything is going okay. How's your head feeling?"

"Migraine," Weiss answered. 

"That's what normally happens after people get knocked unconscious," Yang agreed. "While no one is sure why, there have been numerous excessively descriptive theories that attempt to explain it." She set the book down, opening the medkit and examining Weiss's new scar. She turned back to the book, nodding to herself. "Okay. That's about as healed as it's getting. I had Ruby tell me about the fight, so I could know what else I had to deal with this morning. Up until you got bonked, you didn't receive anything major, it sounds like, but I'd like to make sure nothing happened to your shoulders when you hit the tree."

"I didn't hit that hard," Weiss muttered. 

"Weiss, I can snap a large branch with my bare hands," Yang said. "And Blake is fed on potent blood. She could probably take down a tree with a blunt rock. I'm going to examine your shoulders so I can make sure your arms aren't broken."

"Fair enough," Weiss replied. Her back had been hurting, so it was totally possible that she'd obtained an unnoticed injury. "What do you need me to do?" 

"Um...take off your shirt."

Weiss raised an eyebrow as Yang moved behind her. "Excuse me?"

"Well, first off, I can tell from how the dress _looks_ that the tree wasn't smooth. This thing has a lot of damage. Second, while the scrapes you'd received were nothing compared to your face, I did notice them and did have to patch those closed. But I did not finish the treatment in any way. So, uh, sorry."

Weiss, slowly, pulled up her dress to allow Yang to look at her back. "Fffffuck," Yang whistled. "You said she didn't hit you that hard!"

"I thought you looked at that already," Weiss snapped. 

"Not really. I just patched the cuts. God, I hope I have enough disinfectant for this..."

"How bad is it?" Weiss asked slowly. 

"Looks like you were beaten with a rake," Yang replied. "This is gonna sting."

Weiss closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath as Yang began rubbing the disinfectant on. "I started studying medicine a while back," Yang said. "Ruby ran down the steps one morning and broke an ankle. Could have been worse, but, hey. It happened. Damage was done. It was then that I, for the first time, really _thought_ about what it meant to have healing powers like I do." She paused as Weiss hissed in pain. "Sorry," Yang apologized again. "I realized then...that some day, instead of just healing a scrape or cut, maybe I could save them. Save them when they needed it." She hesitated, then said, "While not exactly as I imagined it, I guess I did save a loved one..." 

Weiss flinched. "You done?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just finished." Weiss put her shirt fully on, but was careful not to accidentally wipe off the disinfectant. 

"Well, you're not going to die," Yang said. She stood up, closing the medkit. "But...you need to sit and rest. Sleep and recover. I'll bring you food up--both of us slept in a bit," she added, rubbing her hair sheepishly. "Breakfast was a loooong time ago." She hesitated. "Weiss...you were...a little harsh on Summer."

"How so?" Weiss asked coldly. 

"You lost your temper. She broke down crying. She hasn't left her room since last night." Yang gave her a flat stare. "Neither of you was right in that argument. You owe each other an apology. In the mean time, focus on resting." She picked up a book--one of the ones she'd brought from the library--and handed it to her. 

"Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't know your eyes could change color like they did. Last night, I mean."

Yang shrugged. "Dhampirs are weird. Dad once confided in me...you know Blake's bow? Wanna know why she wears it?"

Weiss snapped up, curious. "Why?"

Yang grinned. "Dad said she has a pair of fuzzy cat ears. I feel like he would know, and he promised he wasn't screwing with me, so I'm inclined to believe it. Just a little something to think about." She left, closing the door behind her. She then opened it again, peaking in and adding, "Oh, and Ruby's fine. She wanted me to tell you that she's sorry for not being able to protect you."

"It's fine," Weiss said. 

"I'll make sure to tell her that," Yang said with a nod, leaving for real. 

Weiss sighed. She opened the book to the first page. _Guess I oughta pass the time till I recover._

_Day I_

_I still can't believe the war has ended. Every morning I awake with my hand on my blade, looking for foes. And yet, I am still surprised when no one attacks. Taiyang laughs at this habbit--I will grow out of it._

Weiss blinked, rereading the last line again. And again. Taiyang's name stuck out like a storm cloud on a sunny day. Weiss flipped back to the cover, and, seeing no title, flipped to the blank pages that were before every story written down. There, on the _actual_ first page, written in cursive...

_The Diary Of Summer Rose_

_The Years After The War_


	21. The Need to Act

The diary was full. Weiss could only guess what had happened to get it in her hands. Probably, she'd left it in the library and Yang had just never noticed it, and accidentally grouped it in with the rest of the ones she handed to Weiss. Weiss had the strong feeling that she was doing something wrong in reading it. 

One the other hand, Summer's life was _fascinating._ In less than half an hour, Weiss had learned things that the human king, Ozpin, hadn't been able to figure out in decades of trying. The vampire queen had, according to the vampires, lived thousands of years. But when she'd asked Summer about lifespans, she'd learned that vampires had roughly human life spans. Summer was a little over a hundred, but nowhere near a thousand. Salem was not a name--it was a _title._ Each Salem pretended to be the first Salem--and Weiss guessed that that had been her actual name. The current Salem was a young girl named Cinder Fall, whom Summer described as, "Confident enough for the job, but comfortably weary of her own hubris."

Then there was House Rose itself. It had been there before Summer moved in, but even Cinder had no clue as to its purpose. No one lived there, and it was actually in human territory, and had been built during the war. Where had it come from? Weiss was so focused on answering this, that she barely noticed the knock on the door. Weiss answered distractedly, "Come in." 

The tapping of wood on wood told her her visitor's identity. Yang had heavy, consistent footsteps, and none of the vampires made footstep sounds. The only thing that made a sound like that was Summer's cane. 

The master vampire--a title Weiss had all but forgotten about since that first day--sat down on the bed beside Weiss, staring off into space for a long moment. 

Neither said anything for a bit. 

"I believe," Weiss said finally, "we both owe each other...an apology."

"I suck at those," Summer muttered, tapping her cane against the floor. 

"Same here," Weiss admitted. "So...let's just call it even."

Summer nodded, shoulders sagging in relief. Then, she reached over and plucked the book from Weiss's hand. "Where'd you find this?" she asked. 

"I'm guessing it was in the library," Weiss said with a shrug. "And Yang just didn't notice when she brought me some books from there." _Two days ago, actually._

"Hmph. I couldn't find it," she said. "Lost it a while back." She raised an eyebrow at Weiss, adding, "Though it looks like you've kept my place well enough."

Weiss was careful to avoid making eye contact, but couldn't think of a suitable response. Summer chuckled, then handed it back to her. "You'll get more use out of that than I will," she admitted. "But please. Reading people's diaries without asking is not a nice thing to do."

"I'll keep that in mind," Weiss said. She stiffened as Summer wrapped a hand around the human's shoulders. "I'd prefer it," she said, "if I could lay down to die knowing my kids will be safe."

"It's not like I was trying to have this happen to me," Weiss said, touching her scar. 

"And I didn't try to have a spear shoved through my leg, yet, here we are," Summer said. "And just for the record...I do consider you as one of 'my' kids now. You are a kid that I am in charge of protecting and raising. You _are_ my business." She turned Weiss's head so she could look her in the eyes. "None of you kids can possibly deliver any warning message to Salem. I can't travel, and Taiyang is too pacifistic. We can't do anything to stop Blake. It hurts, but sometimes all that can be done is to hope, no matter how much you wish and pray to be able to act."

Weiss sighed. 

"I'll see what I can do," Summer said, "but know it won't be much." She got up, stretched, and then left, the cane tap, tapping against the ground. Weiss lay down on her bed, with a sigh. She didn't know how long she slept for, but it was late in the day. Summer had forgotten to close the door when she left, but it was closed now. Weiss yawned, then, with nothing better to do, went back to reading Summer's diary.

Which was when things got interesting. Halfway into it was a map of the forest. House Rose was marked, as well as the ancient pathways through the woods. There was a clearing a short ways away labeled, _"Potential storage location???"_ There were a few areas listed as hunting grounds. 

Then there was the cottage, which was simply marked as, "??????"

Weiss turned the page and began reading the journal entry. 

_This cottage didn't exist yesterday. Now, I saw it through the trees, in the heart of woods, made of rotten lumber. I'd say it's been there for decades. But I was there yesterday. This cottage didn't exist. Tai says it's fine, it doesn't matter._

_I think that this is either something I need to worry about, or an old friend...I'll go pay them a visit tomorrow. Whoever it is, should they prove dangerous, shouldn't be a match for me._

Weiss turned page. The next entry was from two days after Summer's discovery of the cottage. 

_An old friend of mine! Blake lives in the cottage. I have no idea how she got here, or how she had this cottage built like that. She dodged my questions on it...but that's just Blake being Blake. She was clearly suspicious at first, but warmed up later into our conversation. She was greatly interested in meeting Tai, and though that particular meeting did not go as I had wished...I feel like it turned out okay._

There was a crudely drawn smiley face at the bottom of the page, with the sentence, _Everything is okay!_

Weiss turned the page. The next few pages were splattered in ink, and a few of the ink stained ones appeared damaged. Cut. 

_Like there was a struggle._ Weiss shuddered, finally finding a page that wasn't damaged. 

_Blake has changed._

It was the last entry in the diary. 


	22. Struck

A light, muscled hand touched Weiss's sleeping head. 

_"Ha ha ha ha ha..._ " Blake. Striking. Claws. _Pain._

Weiss bolted, catching the dhampir's hand and twisting it behind her back. She dropped on top of her, pinning her to the ground. 

"Ow ow ow--Weiss, what the fuck?!?" Yang cried. Hurriedly, Weiss released her and got up, wincing. "Sorry! I--I guess I..."

Yang looked alarmed. "You...thought I was Blake."

Weiss flinched. "I was sleepy."

"And I touched your scar, so..." She shrugged. "I guess I kinda had that coming. But I had no idea you were so good at hand to hand...whatever that's not the point." She jumped to her feet, setting her medkit down on a dresser. "But in all seriousness, I think you have a problem."

"Well, half of my vision is in black and white, so, I guess I have several," Weiss said with a shrug. 

"Dear God, why do you keep joking like that?" Yang muttered. "No, back on track. You know how Summer has that limp?"

"She explained that," Weiss said. 

"Oh. Well, sometimes she gets flashes from that fight. I read about this..." Yang flipped through her book. "Post traumatic stress disorder. It's when you suffer a deep physical or emotional injury and it just...keeps coming back. In your memories, in your sleep." She paused. "I know Summer has it. That, uh, wasn't the first time I've gotten suplexed." She shook her head. "Needless to say, that was the last time we tried a surprise party for her."

"Oookay," Weiss said, sitting down. "What do I do about it?"

"Talk to Summer. She might have some suggestions. As it stands...or at least when the book was written...PTSD isn't even an official name."

"Right."

"But it is good to see that you're feeling better today," Yang said. "Headache gone?"

"Yeah." 

"And you don't have a fever, so it looks like all's good." She picked up her medkit, rubbing her shoulder with her spare hand. "Day-um, though."

"I...don't have that much training in hand-to-hand," Weiss said sheepishly. 

"I know a lot of it, Dad taught me," Yang said. "Come talk to me sometime and I can teach you more."

"I'll think about that," Weiss said. "And, uh, again. Sorry."

"Don't worry about that," Yang said, waving it off and leaving. 

Weiss did several experimental stretches. She felt sore, but she was fine now. Her life had taken a turn for the better, and it would take more than a scar to change that. She left her room, heading to the kitchen. 

Taiyang was doing the dishes, Yang had poured herself a cup of coffee, and Ruby was slowly eating her breakfast. All of them looked up at her as she came in. Weiss smiled, giving a wave. 

"How you feeling?" Tai asked, setting down the bowl he'd been washing and picking up a clean one. He ladled some soup into it, putting the bowl onto the table for Weiss. The young girl nodded appreciatively, sitting down. 

"Better," Weiss said. "With the headache gone, I'm mostly just sore."

"Weiss...I..." Ruby choked on her words, dropping her spoon. She wore a tank top and sleep pants, allowing Weiss to see that the vampire had received her own scar on the shoulder. "I...I'm sorry...I should have..."

"I should have stopped us from engaging in the first place," Weiss interrupted. "There was no reason to engage her at that time. There wasn't much you could have done to prevent my injury, anyway."

Ruby sobbed, looking away. "But, Weiss..."

"Enough," Weiss said firmly. "We _share_ the blame for that, at best. You are not responsible for my scar. Blake is. And trust me, if I get the opportunity, I'm going to pay her back for this." She paused, stirring her soup a minute, then added, "Let's just call it even, and some day, we'll laugh about this."

Ruby nodded, still crying. Yang put a comforting arm around her sister's shoulders, squeezing her with a hug. "I'm just glad you're okay," Tai said. "We were all worried about you, Weiss."

Weiss didn't answer, and began eating her food. Having a family that cared about her...would take some getting used to. "Where's Summer?" she asked, finally noticing the master vampire's absence. 

"Her garden," Yang said. "She doesn't think she's spent enough time gardening here lately, apparently."

"She never stopped gardening during the war, you know," Tai said simply, putting up a clean plate. "It's a stress thing. It relaxes her. Calms her."

Weiss smiled as Yang and Tai started one of their friendly arguments with each other. Yang's habbit of starting them had bothered Weiss at first, who wasn't used to friendly conversation. Like everything else in House Rose, she'd grown used to it. 

Summer noticed immediately when Weiss began coming out to the garden. Her adopted daughter had a distinct scent, and Summer was good with scents. She smiled, clipping a weed from her rose bush as the gate creaked open. 

"Come on over," she said with a wave. Due to the way the flower rows were curved, Weiss couldn't have seen her wave, but old habits die hard. Weiss's footsteps sounded behind her, and she sat down on the ground by the fountain, legs crossed. Summer flashed her a reassuring grin, seeing her daughter's tension. "What's up?"

"Yang mentioned this...thing. The...post...God, I can't remember the name..."

Summer raised an eyebrow, shoulder's slumping. "She's not going off about that PTSD thing again, is she?"

"That's it."

Summer noted the scar on Weiss's face, then scoffed. _Should have guessed,_ she thought grumpily, turning back to her flowers. "Don't believe every little thing you read, Weiss."

"You don't believe it?" Weiss asked. 

"You have a scar that's about the size of your face, and I can't walk ten feet without that cane over there," Summer said, patting the wooden staff on the ground beside her. "Injuries happen, and if it leaves a mark, you're going to remember it. It's not a medical condition."

"But...how do you deal with it?" Weiss asked. 

"Toughen up," Summer said. "Learn to deal with it. And don't be afraid to accept help."

"I came out here to get help," Weiss muttered. 

Summer nodded. "Fair enough." She spun around, sitting in a lotus position. "Did you know that I met Tai the same day I got my scar?"

Weiss blinked in surprise. "No. No I didn't."

Summer chuckled. "The people who attacked me were lead by one of the border guards. Tall man, black hair, with a sword. His name was...Craw...or something like that. It's fuzzy, and he spoke with a drunken slur. Couldn't really tell. Well, their attack didn't really succeed. I killed all of his buddies, and was about to kill him when I heard Tai say, 'No'. I was confused, I thought I was alone. But I looked up, and I see this blonde guy I don't know coming up, carrying a baby in a sling. He just looks at me, shakes his head, and says, 'you're the better man.' I hesitated, not sure what to do. But I didn't kill him--unless the guy tossed himself in front of a carriage, he's still alive. But he did immediately try shouting off a few racial slurs...which was when I hit him on the cheek, leaving a scar. I told him then, 'I'm no saint,' and left. Tai helped me, bringing me to his house so he could help me. Three years later, we got married, and the next year, we got Ruby."

"While certainly an interesting story, I do wonder where you're going with this," Weiss said. 

Summer laughed, shrugging. "Stories don't have to go anywhere," she said. "I just got reminded of that by our conversation. Take it slow, accept what happened. Don't try to forget it--even if you could, it wouldn't fix anything. I do believe that that Craw guy had a few things he was trying to forget, if the smell of liquor is anything to go by." She paused. "Did this help, or did I just ramble a bit?"

Weiss nodded. "It was...a bit of both," she said. "Thanks." She got up, gave a half bow, and left. 

"I'm glad to see she's feeling better," Blake said. Summer turned, glaring at her. Blake sat in front of a rose bush, mimicking Summer's pose. 

Summer flipped her off, rising and continuing work on her flowers. 

"I'm serious," Blake said. "Killing her would not have sat well on my conscience, Summer."

"Of course not. Nothing to sit on in the first place," Summer replied. 

"I guess I deserve that," Blake sighed, rising. Summer had no clue when the dhampir had arrived--she could never catch Blake when she was trying hard to hide. "I'm sorry, Summer."

"Then leave us alone," Summer said firmly. "Cuz right now, you've come into my life three more times than you needed to."

When no answer came, Summer turned. Blake was gone. With a sigh, Summer returned to her roses. 


	23. Don't Come Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I finally began updating the fic's tags. Specifically character tags, but if you think of a misc tag that I should add, feel free to mention it.

It was amazing how every second of every day was a waking nightmare without Nora. Ren couldn't even focus on a book to distract himself--without Nora's chatter, he just couldn't read. 

Dammit, he couldn't do anything! Why was he sitting here? Couldn't he save Nora? Couldn't he rush after Blake? 

That's what he would do! He had to. He'd go talk to his father. Maybe then...

But no. Li shook his head, sighing. "If Nora is still alive...then she'll have been turned. If she's been turned..."

"She's still Nora!"

"I know that!" Li interrupted. "But everyone in the village remembers when Salem's Grimm attacked. By association, Nora would be shunned and hated. If she has been turned...it would be better to leave her with her own kind now."

Ren looked outside the window, towards the village. A single deer hopped across his line of sight, sparking a sudden line of thought. 

"Why...didn't we go to the Annual Deer Hunt?" Ren asked slowly. "What prompted you to stay home that day? The one time we didn't go is when...Blake attacked. And you know Blake. You talked with her ahead of time, and received a letter from her."

"What are you saying?" An, his mother, asked. 

"He's stating the obvious," a chilling voice answered, "and you should really be proud of how he turned out."

All eyes focused on Blake Belladonna, who was accompanied by another vampire in light armor. One of Li's guards moved past the two, whispering to Li, "Sorry, sir, but they insisted on immediately seeing you. And the dhampir said you were expecting her..."

"You let them die, didn't you?" Ren demanded of his father. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"Because Blake is right!" Li shouted, spinning on his son. "Salem is not going to hold her throne. And the only way I can guarantee my family's safety in the upcoming war--is by helping her."

"Enough," Blake interrupted. "I couldn't care less about this conversation at the moment. Li, I might inquire _what the hell_ you think you were doing?"

The red-haired vampire stepped around Blake, putting a hand on Ren's shoulder. "Your friend lives," she said quietly, leading Ren away from his father and Blake. "And your father is only doing what he thinks best."

"Not what he thinks is right," Ren replied. 

"You'll find that being brave is much harder when the sword isn't pointed at your head," she replied. "Sacrifice yourself for your cause, yes. But would you sacrifice your son?" 

Ren broke away from her. "Blake's using me as blackmail?"

"I didn't say that!" she said hurriedly, looking back at the dhampir. Blake didn't appear to have heard, deep in an evidently angry argument with Li. "Li knows he must involve himself in the war that is definitely coming. But he does not think Salem can win. He would certainly be willing to die himself, in a last stand in a war he cannot win. But who would kill their child like that? He can't make that decision, so he feels he must help Blake."

"He's wrong."

"Everyone is wrong sometimes," she said with a shrug. "Me, Blake, you, Nora...where are you going?"

Ren didn't answer. Blake and her soldier were here, which gave him...

_An open shot._

Weiss was at her hundred percent. So it was time for her strike. She could find Blake's cottage--Summer's very detailed map was more than enough to get there. Weiss had a weapon. Blake's nose would still be broken--dhampirs controlled blood and, to an extent, flesh, but not bone. She had asked Yang about it. Blake wouldn't be able to smell Weiss coming. Her only worry would be Blake's two comrades--one of whom, Weiss could guess, had only recently become a vampire. It seemed like Valkyrie was being turned into a vampire. Weiss doubted she would just join Blake, and she also doubted that Valkyrie was the only human being turned, which would play into her side when she was sneaking in. Her note was prepared, left on her bed for when Yang came to check on her. 

It was the time of day, early morning. Ruby was actually asleep, and so would her parents be. Yang was a non-issue, and would be sleeping for a while yet. "Sorry," Weiss said, heading up the stairs. She crossed through the library, and up into the warehouse. She found a rapier that suited her, and sheathed it. Then she found a light-weight mace, for Valkyrie, and strapped it across her back. 

She stepped around the statue of Summer, hefting a rope as she found the hatch to the roof. It wasn't locked. 

Weiss crossed the roof, to the stone railing, and threw one end of the rope over. Then, she turned to secure the other end. 

Summer raised an eyebrow. "The front door doesn't even have a lock," she said, one hand on her hip. 

Weiss hesitated. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"I sleep lightly," Summer said with a shrug. "I come up here to think, too, and I noticed immediately when you got out of bed. Given that I had a map in the diary of mine, the same diary that you are holding a torn page from, I put the numbers together."

Weiss frowned. "And you're not mad?"

"I'm _pissed,_ " Summer replied, with no change in her tone. "Not only are you continuing along with this, but you're sneaking out through the roof? With nothing but a note?" She lifted the paper letter, unfolded and clearly, she'd read it. 

How she'd done that, then reached the roof _before_ Weiss without her noticing it, Weiss would never know. 

"You could have at least said a proper goodbye," Summer said quietly, wiping tears from her eyes. "What the hell, Weiss?"

"I'm sorry," Weiss said. "I need to do this."

Summer nodded slowly. "You don't. But you're going to." She turned around. "Please. Don't come back. I...I can't take this. If you do this, you're most likely going to die. And if you come back today, it'll just...give me false hope. I don't need that."

Weiss choked up. She tried saying something, _anything,_ but found nothing to say. No words fit. 

"Goodbye," Summer said, turning and walking back into the house. 

"Goodbye," Weiss said. "And thank you."

Summer hesitated. But she said nothing, and left. Wiping tears from her eyes, Weiss jumped down, sliding down the side of House Rose with her rope. 

_It's do or die time now._


	24. Like Minds

The deep woods only had one path that lead into them. Blake's cottage was in the center of the forest, but Weiss knew the road kept going. 

She was stealthy. No one could have seen her, especially in the dark woods, even if anyone had been there. 

Weiss examined the cottage from a distance. Could she just burn it down? No, that would not work. Too many unintended consequences. 

Besides, she hoped to bring Valkyrie out. 

Weiss crept closer to the cottage, peeking in through a glass window. The window was dirty, but she was able to see a room full of hospital beds. Most had patients on them. 

Quick as a flash, Weiss had her sword up and pointed at the person creeping around the cottage. A young man in green, pointing a dagger-crossbow contraption at her. 

"You were the woman with the vampire," he said quietly. Sheathing her sword, Weiss hushed him, nodding inside.

"Blake is gone, as is her red-headed friend," Ren said. 

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Her group consists of three...minimum." She peaked in through the window once more. 

_There you are._ She tapped Ren on the shoulder and pointed. There was a backless chair sitting in the corner of the room, and on this chair sat a humanoid figure in black armor. He wore a horned helmet, and multiple long white spines came from his back. His arms were abnormally long, with eight inch fingers. He didn't wear gloves, so Weiss knew that his hands were actually a deep black color. The little she saw of his face from this distance was pale white, and he appeared to be sleeping. Weiss motioned for Ren to follow, and the two crept in through the door. 

The vampire snored quietly, his fingers occasionally rapping against the floor or closing around the jagged spear-like weapon near his chair. Most of the beds were filled with people, ranging in various degrees of pale skin, most covered in blood. 

_She's making herself an army,_ Weiss thought. And then there was the vampire--he looked even less human than Blake did. Now that she was closer, she could see that his lips appealed to have melted together, and he'd had to have ripped them apart at some point. However, thin strips of skin still connected them as he snored quietly. 

"That's messed up," Ren said quietly. He looked away from the vampire, scanning the hospital beds. "Nora!" He went down on his knees, cupping Valkyrie's head in his hands. "Nora? Wake up, please!"

"Shush!" Weiss said, pointing at the vampire. She went over, and paled upon seeing Valkyrie--Nora, as her first name appeared to be. Her throat was missing a huge patch of skin, exposing muscle, and she was covered in blood. Weiss looked around the room, spotting her hammer over to the side. Too close to the strange vampire to try and grab. She shuddered, taking another look at the vampire, noting the pupiless red eyes. 

"Fuck," Weiss said. She didn't make a habbit of swearing, but some situations called for it.

The vampire stood, rippling to his feet, rolling his shoulders and back with a series of cracks and pops. His head twisted with a crack as he looked sideways at them, his breath rasping. 

Ren fired a crossbow bolt straight at the vampire's exposed face. The creature caught it between two of its fingers. Its head entered a normal angle on its neck as it examined the bolt, wiggling it back and forth before simply letting go. It took a deep breath, and screamed at them. A howling, echoing scream that shook the forest and even cracked one of the windows. 

"Intruders!" came a voice from another room. Two more vampires rushed in, one with a sword, the other, a mace. The first vampire turned, shot them a look, then returned its attention to the humans. 

Weiss drew her rapier. "Get Nora," she hissed. She lunged past the twisted vampire, attacking the new two. The sword-wielding one clumsily blocked her with his shield, but she easily knocked him off his feet and kicked him into the back room again. She dodged the slow mace of the other, striking him on the cheek as he hastily backed away. Neither of these two were skilled. The mace-wielding vampire growled, charging forward. Weiss stepped around him and kicked him in the back, sending him barreling towards the twisted one.

She did not expect the vampire to wrap its large claws around the mace-wielder, lift him, and throw him with expert precision at Weiss. With a cry, Weiss ducked down as, with an equally startled cry, the other vampire hit the wall behind her. 

"Cardin!" cried the blonde one, stepping back into the room. 

"C'mon! Hurry!" Ren cried, carrying Nora out the door. Weiss backed away from the three vampires. The mace one, Cardin, got up, rubbing his head as Weiss backed towards the door. 

The twisted one lifted its own weapon--a sort of javelin with teeth-like points all along its bladed edge, attached to a long, metal cord. It had two of these, and spun one around in a circle. Weiss backed out the door, watching all three of them. She turned to run, and stopped immediately, seeing a ten-foot spire of blood having tied and gagged Ren. Blake held out one hand with a raised eyebrow, while a red-haired vampire carried Nora bridal-style. Weiss pointed her sword at Blake, tensely waiting for the dhampir's move. 

The jagged harpoon soared threw the air and broke the blade off her rapier. The handle flung out of her hands as her wrist twisted and she stumbled, off-balance. Weiss breathed in and out a long moment, then sank to her knees, holding up her hands. 

Blake scoffed, stepping past her. "Cardin. Jaune."

The other two vampires stepped out of the house, awkwardly standing at attention. 

"Did I not give you one, _and only one,_ task? Guard the house against invaders?" Blake asked pointedly. 

"Well...we..."

"Um..."

"We messed up."

"Sorry." The two bowed their heads in shame. Blake nodded, then said, "Do better next time." Her eyes trailed the movement of the harpoon as it was lifted by the first vampire, who now rode a massive black horse. The vampire's shoulders were hunched, and the horse was covered in armor. "I hope you didn't strain yourself, Knucklavee?"

The vampire gave a thumbs up. Blake nodded, then made a motion with her hand. The blood spire lowered, ungagging Ren but not releasing him. "You just had to try, didn't you?" 

"Give her back," Ren spat. 

"I'll let her decide that, thank you," Blake said, turning to Weiss with an odd expression. Weiss closed her eyes, looking away. "Get it over with," she said. 

"Hmm?"

"Just finish me already."

"Why would I do that?" A branch snapped, and Weiss opened her eyes, looking at Blake as she kneeled down besides her. 

"I..." Weiss frowned. "Why wouldn't you kill me?"

"Well, for whatever reason, Summer decided she cared about you, and I care about Summer," Blake answered. "And I like you. You have that personality that I need, that I've been looking for. And let it never be said that I am wasteful." She grabbed Weiss's head, tilting it to the side and exposing Weiss's throat as she lifted her lip and bared her fangs. 


	25. To the Rescue

"Mom's going to be so pissed at us."

Yang sighed, turning in the doorway to look at Ruby. "I know, but if we want to catch Weiss before she reaches Blake's house, we need to move." Summer had explained Weiss's disappearance. So, logically, Yang and Ruby had waited until she looked away to go out and bring Weiss back. Breaking into a run, Ruby asked, "I mean, she's always seemed cautious to me. It's not like she'd just go barging in the front door...right?"

Rather than attempt to answer the question, Yang asked, "Are you sure you should be bringing that Crescent Rose thing?"

Ruby thought through her answer before saying it aloud. "Mom's gonna be angry enough. I figured she'd be angrier if I did this without the best possible equipment, and you can't much better than this. I mean, she used it during the war, right?" 

Yang couldn't argue against that. With determination, she set her sight ahead of her. Luckily, the path was straight to Blake's house, and mostly clear. _I guess she wanted to go next door often. Borrow sugar._ The image of the hardened war veteran going to her next door neighbor to borrow sugar probably would have made her laugh, any other time. Right now, she was just as furious as Summer was about to be. 

What had Weiss been thinking? Was she mad? Did she have a death wish? She couldn't take Blake. What was she trying to--?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an echoing scream that filled the forest. Birds burst into the air all around them as Yang and Ruby screeched to a stop. 

"What was that?" Ruby asked. Yang broke into a run again, swearing foully under her breath. That was not a human scream--or at least, not any normal scream. Clearly, Weiss had engaged something. 

Yang skidded to a stop, hiding behind a tree. Ruby landed behind a nearby tree, and the two peaked around to scope the situation. 

Three different vampires, Blake herself, and a rider on a horse. A young man in green was bound in a spire made out of blood, and a red-headed vampire was holding Weiss still. Blake was holding her face, and appeared to be breathing intensely. 

"Ow," Blake hissed. "You _bit_ me."

"You're one to talk!"

"I guess you figured my nose was still healing, so it would be the most sensitive," Blake said quietly. "Ruthless...but tactical." 

Weiss was struggling, but the vampire that held her was stronger. But not strong enough so that she wasn't straining. 

A good distraction was what she needed to make her escape. Yang pulled out a flask of blood she'd brought with her, uncorking it and making the blood flow through the air around her. But who to strike? 

"We don't need to fight, you know," Blake stated. "You could help us."

"And why would I do that?"

"If you really just see how much _better_ it is..." Blake began, then stopped. "You are frustrating me. Not many people get to do that, you know."

"Really? Because it looked to me like you had a short temper."

There was a stunned silence. Yang cracked a smile, seeing Blake turn around and rub her eyes with her hands. "Pyrrha, just--bonk her. Knock her out." 

Weiss began struggling again, and Yang aimed a javelin of blood straight for the redhead-- _Pyrrha, I guess?_ She was interrupted by a cracking, popping sound. The rider rolled his shoulders, rising out of a slouch, cracking his head to one side and then the other. Then, his head snapped back, looking over his shoulder at Ruby and Yang. And he let out a furious scream. 

It was much louder when not heard from across the forest. Yang ducked into a roll as a jagged, harpoon like weapon swung on a cord, sawed right through the tree, and was pulled back towards the rider. Yang looked around the clearing, finding everyone staring at her. "In my defense," Yang said, "I thought I was pretty stealthy."

"Yang! Get out of here!" Weiss cried. A blast of red magic soared through the air, striking Pyrrha and causing her to leg go of Weiss. Weiss slugged the vampire, then threw her backwards into a tree. She tucked into a roll as another harpoon soared past her, and picked up her broken sword hilt, entering a fighting pose. 

Ruby lunged out from behind her tree, swinging with Crescent Rose at Blake. Blake simply stepped aside, unsheathing her weapon with a glare. She attacked, and Ruby parried with the handle of the scythe, causing Blake's expression to become unreadable. Blake backed off a few steps, sizing up her target. The blood spire holding up her captive liquefied and traveled to her, turning into a ribbon. 

"Not a chance!" Yang cried, thrusting her hand forward. The blood scattered and fell to the ground, soaking the overgrown cobbled path Blake stood on. The two dhampir's stared each other down. Until Ruby hit Blake with her scythe, sending her flying. 

"What are you doing here?" Weiss demanded, striding towards Yang. 

"Saving your stupid ass," Yang said pointedly. "Like, seriously, what were you expecting to do here?" Their argument was interrupted by the harpoon wrapping itself around Yang's waist, the cord going tight before Yang got pulled through the air and thrown at a tree. She slid off it, wincing. The rider spun the harpoon around again, then tossed it at Yang. 

Yang caught it and planted her feet firmly on the ground. The rider paused, clearly surprised. 

"Gotcha," Yang said with a confident grin. She yanked hard on the harpoon. Nothing happened. She awkwardly pulled several more times in a vain attempt to dismount the rider. "Um..." 

The rider let out a low, rasping laugh. Then, he gave the harpoon a tug, pulling Yang off her feet. It spun the harpoon, and threw Yang. "I'm okay," Yang said, stumbling to her feet. She turned her attention back to Blake, then used her magic on the blood Blake was using. Like before, the blood simply collapsed--as long as Blake and Yang were both channeling their magic into it, neither could control it, it appeared. 

Yang caught the mace that the other vampire had swung for her head and slammed her knee into his stomach. She hit his elbow hard, max force, causing him to drop his weapon. Yang kicked it away, then flipped the vampire onto his back. Yang turned to the other vampire, who had stopped short a few feet from her. Yang cracked her knuckles, and the vampire gulped, taking a step back. Which was when Weiss tackled Yang. Yang's eyes widened as she fell down and saw the massive harpoon that cut a small scrap of hair off. 

Yang jumped to her feet, pulling Weiss with her as another harpoon narrowly missed. Yang checked back on Ruby--Blake had retreated back, letting the red-haired vampire fight for her. 

"Get Ruby, Nora, and her friend in green," Weiss said. "Run."

"Not without you," Yang replied. While not winning, strictly speaking, Ruby was holding her own, so Yang had to focus on her own fight. "Do you know anything about this thing?" she asked. 

"Blake called him Knucklavee," Weiss replied. "That's all I know."

Knucklavee let out another rasping laugh, spinning his harpoon around. 

"Yang, just go," Weiss said. "Take them out of here. I came here to stop her."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Yang demanded. 

"I have plans. But you have your life--"

"And how could I live it if I left you to die?" Yang snapped, eyes flashing red. 

They were interrupted by the sound of coughing. Knucklavee stood there, watching them intently, holding up both his harpoons. 

"Oh, right," Yang said. "We'll argue later. Go ahead!" She immediately ducked beneath the harpoon swing, rolling across the ground and pelting Knucklavee with rocks. She lashed out with her blood ribbon...only to have it splash on the ground uselessly. 

"Oh, fuck you!" Yang shouted at Blake, throwing a stone at the other dhampir. It missed, of course, and she laughed cruelly. Yang ran back, keeping her eyes on Knucklavee as he charged forward, swinging the bladed harpoons. How to do anything? She couldn't use vampire magic, and bare hands wouldn't help her against him...

Then she spied Valkyrie, lying unconscious on a rock, and had a stupid idea that almost certainly wouldn't work that she was going to try anyway. She ducked and rolled across the ground, shoved the mace-wielding vampire out of her way as she reached Valkyrie. She reached over, and attempted to heal Valkyrie. 

Normally, twisting flesh to heal it was fulfilling. Wounds wanted to be healed...if that made sense. Bodies of flesh and bone didn't like being torn. This one was...different. It wasn't that the flesh was damaged...it was that what it thought itself of was different. None of this would have made any sense to a non-dhampir. But Yang was fine not understanding. All she needed to know was that it worked. The throat wound healed itself. But Valkyrie--possibly, her name was Nora--didn't wake. Yang grimaced, then found herself lifted clear off the ground. Knucklavee lifted her up to level with his face, screaming at her, his massive hand around her face. Yang grabbed his hand in one of hers, and threw a punch. It made him flinch, but it felt like she slammed her fist into a stone wall. 

Weiss jumped onto the horse, then balanced on top of the spines on Knucklavee's back. Knucklavee twisted to get her off as the horse spun around. Weiss grabbed his horned helmet firmly and began banging the half of her rapier she still held against it. 

Yang, seizing advantage of Knucklavee's distraction, managed to pry his fingers off her face. She jumped, slamming herself into the rider. With another scream, Knucklavee twisted around, throwing both of the two young girls off himself. 

He screamed again. A crossbow bolt plinked off his helmet. The man in green was holding up a hand-crossbow, firing repeatedly at Knucklavee. The vampire grabbed a couple of the bolts out of the air, but let most of them bounce off his armor. He twisted his head aside suddenly as a blast of bright pink magic soared past his head. 

Valkyrie had bolted upright, and her hands were glowing with magic. She gasped and panted, blinking rapidly in a confused fashion. 

"Guys!" Ruby landed by her Yang and Weiss, panting. She wiped the blood off a cut on her cheek, then said, "We need to go."

The red-haired vampire stepped beside Knucklavee, holding her weapons and glaring. Yang turned around, seeing Blake and her other two minions block off their other path. "You five...are causing me a lot of trouble," the dhampir said. 

Yang flipped her off. 

"What do we do?" Ruby asked. 

"Fight till the end," Valkyrie said. She stood up, leaning on her friend. "If they win, make it as hard on them as possible."


	26. The Real Challenge Starts

"You just couldn't stay out of this, could you?" Blake asked, rubbing her face. 

They needed to get out. Weiss knew that. Except now, she didn't have a path out. She already didn't have a path out...but now she had to get Ruby and Yang out, as well as Nora and Ren out...

Blake strode forward, spinning her blade as she watched the five of them. She shook her head, eyes closed as she muttered something under her breath. With a start, Weiss realized she was saying the Lord's prayer. 

_"...she is perhaps one of the cruelest people I know, yet she never attacks people in churches and says the Lord's prayer every morning."_

She recalled Tai's words. _Was he talking about Blake?_ she wondered. It was a decent connection--but there weren't many different ways she could abuse that knowledge. 

"What do I do with you?" Blake asked. "I can't just kill you..." She stepped around them, just out of range to attack. If she could have been killed by normal means, Weiss wouldn't have even reached her before getting taken down. 

"You're just a bitch," Nora said simply. Blake paused, then slowly turned to face her. "Excuse me?"

"You clearly have no problem coming, attacking us, and ruining our lives, but you're pretending to be the good guy anyway?" Nora said. 

"I didn't ruin your life," Blake said. "I gave you a gift."

Nora, leaning on Ren, pointed at her throat. "That's gonna leave a scar. I can tell. It doesn't even seem remotely like a gift, pal." 

Blake snarled, looming over her and baring her fangs. Gray spines stood straight up on her neck and shoulder blades, and Weiss noticed that her hair twitched. Nora spat on her. Blake wiped off the spit with the back of her hand, giving Nora a flabbergasted look. 

"Maybe see if people agree you with you before you turn them into vampires," Nora said. 

"You're a fool," Blake growled, her upper lip raised. "I am the hero this world needs. I am--"

Nora punched her. Magic wrapped around her fist, and Blake hurtled backwards into a tree. The tree cracked and shuddered as Blake slid down, landing on her feet and stumbling. 

Nora stood straight, no longer leaning on Ren as magic wrapped around her. She cracked her neck, then shouted, "Let's get the hell out of here!"

Weiss took the lead, heading for Blake's minions. She dodged under the first one's mace and with a jump, bounced off the second's shield. She landed on top of the first, dropped him with a kick, then attacked with her half a sword. He blocked with his sword, but was thrown off his feet when Nora blasted him. 

Blake's final minion intercepted Yang, knocking the dhampir off her feet with a shield bash. She was caught off guard when Yang grabbed the shield and pulled herself back to her feet and, with a twist, yanked the shield off her arm. She casually tossed it aside, as she cracked her knuckles and tackled the vampire. 

"Weiss! Look out!" Ruby cried, rushing to intercept Blake. Blake grabbed Crescent Rose as Ruby swung it, threw the young vampire away, then tackled Weiss. Weiss stabbed out with her half-rapier, only to have Blake not even try to dodge it. Blake pinned Weiss to the ground and clasped her hand around her throat. She lifted Weiss into the air and, with much venom in her tone, snarled, "Alright, ENOUGH. Stop this or she dies!"

"Drop her!" Yang shouted back. She had the red-haired vampire in a headlock, and tightened her grip. 

"You'll find killing someone is not as easy as it looks," Blake stated. "You don't have the temperament of a killer."

"Harm her one more time and you'll see what kind of temperament I'm in!" Yang snarled, eyes flashing Red. 

Blake hesitated, then dropped Weiss. Weiss gasped for breath, then rolled away from Blake and onto her feet. She rushed over to Yang, standing with Nora and Ren and Ruby. Yang backed away, still holding the red-head. 

"Let Pyrrha go," Blake said simply. "If you don't, you'll never make it out of this forest."

"She'll never just let us go," Ruby said. "We've messed with her too much."

Yang grimaced. "You're right, but we'll never get out of the forest without a hostage, and that'll make her more angry at us."

"What do we do?" Ruby asked. 

"Slow her down," Weiss said. "If she has to stop and heal...Pyrrha, she said her name was...then we might be able to hide and escape. She still can't smell."

"But Pyrrha doesn't need any healing," Yang pointed out. Weiss lifted her blade as Blake snarled. "Drop her. Now!"

There was a hesitant moment. "When I say 'go', keep running and don't look back," Weiss said. She pulled her sword back to stab Pyrrha in the back...

The ground shook. The grass and vines growing on the cobblestone path shook and rattles. Loose branches fell out of nearby trees. 

"An earthquake?" Ren asked, puzzled. 

"Mom!" Ruby cried ecstatically. 

Summer Rose jumped out of the trees, glowing white vines sent out to attack Blake. Blake was hurdled back through a tree, which fell and collapsed, crushing part of the cottage. Summer flew into the forest after Blake, and several more trees fell down. 

"Let's help her!" Ruby cried. Weiss pulled her back out of range of one of Knucklavee's harpoons as the vampire trotted forward. 

"We'd never get past him to help her," Weiss said. "And something makes me feel like he'll let this stay between those two."

"We need to go," Yang agreed. "We'll meet up with Summer later."

"And what about Ginger here?" Nora asked. 

"A hostage would be useful, no matter what next step we take," Weiss pointed out. 

"You'll never get away with this!" Pyrrha cried. "We are the heroes! We are the saviors! _Remember the--_ " Yang conked her on the head, and Pyrrha crumpled to the ground. 

"That's that," Yang said. "Now come on. We need to run."

It wasn't far to House Rose, yet they were all tired and out of breath, in addition to having to carry both Pyrrha and Nora, the latter of whom lost the strength to stand before they arrived. They burst in the front door, and Weiss closed it behind them. Yang dropped Pyrrha roughly on the floor, then looked at Tai. "We need a rope to tie her up with," she said. Taiyang rushed up the steps as the five young children sat down. 

"What do we do next?" Yang asked as he came back down. "I don't think she's just gonna let us walk away from this."

"She's not," Taiyang agreed, binding Pyrrha. 

"Ow," Nora said. Everyone looked at her. She stared at her ring finger, which had a dot of blood on it. "Testing for fangs," she explained. 

Before anyone could answer, the door opened. Everyone tensed--but only Summer came in. Bruised and cut up, her cloak was missing, as was her right sleeve, exposing her shoulder and the cuts on it. She took one step before collapsing. Ruby rushed over and caught her, carrying her to a chair quickly. Yang immediately moved over to start healing her, saying, "I didn't think you'd come."

"Me neither," Summer said quietly. "There's no time, though. She's gonna be...right behind me. You need to go."

"Go where?" Ren asked. 

"To warn Salem," Summer said. "Blake's got twenty soldiers on her side, and not all of them are going to be as strong willed as Nora. Because she turned them, they're going to take almost every word she says as the Gospel truth. Irrevocable and final. For the record, the size of the vampire army was two hundred total. Blake's been busy, and if you want to stay ahead of her, you need to leave immediately. 

Taiyang grabbed the edge of the table, flipping it over. Two legs spun on hinges, and he opened the trapdoor beneath it. "This passage is a shortcut, designed to be safely destroyed while you're halfway through. You can do that and get three days ahead of Blake. And take your hostage--you're going to need every edge you can get." 

Ruby picked up Pyrrha with a grunt. "But--"

"Go. Tell Salem. She won't stand a chance if Blake surprises her. She needs to prepare the city..." Summer coughed. "I'll be fine. You five-- _GO."_

"We'll be back," Yang said quietly, closing her eyes and leaning against Summer. 

"You better. When you get back, I'm kicking both your asses."

"Everyone into the tunnel," Weiss said. Nora stumbled to her feet, and was the first into the tunnel. Ren rushed after to help her, and Ruby carried Pyrrha next, hesitating at the top. 

"I'll be fine," Summer said. "Go!"

Yang got up, and left, following Ruby. Weiss hesitated, then, without a word, jumped after them. Tai closed the door behind them, moving the table back. 

The door exploded into splinters as Blake, also covered in bruises, stepped into the room. Her footsteps echoed around as she frowned. "They must have gone done the secret passage," she said bitterly. "And I don't suppose you'd be willing to say where it is?"

Taiyang crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Thought not," Blake said. She scoffed as she strode over to the small furnace in the corner of the drawing room. "You know, if I lose to anyone, Summer...I'd want it to be you." She turned and spun on her heel, leaving the building as she had entered. 


	27. Macabre Powers

Yang, Ren, and Weiss slept peacefully. Once safely on the other side of the passage, Yang had collapsed, having overextended herself a bit too much on too little sleep. Given their state, and that Blake was three days behind them, Weiss had said they needed to sleep. Ruby had pointed out that since she and Nora only needed a tiny amount of sleep, they should keep watch. 

Nora was no longer human. There wasn't anything wrong about being a vampire, per se...but there was definitely wrong about being something other than you were supposed to. She felt...weird. Her skin itched and crawled. Goose-flesh spread along her arms. Her whole body was wracked with every breath. 

"You okay?" Ruby asked, finally seeming to notice her discomfort. 

Nora didn't answer. Truth be told, there wasn't an answer really. She was okay...and she wasn't. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ruby asked, sitting closer to her. "I can explain your new powers!"

Nora wrapped magic around her arm and, with a dramatic flick of her wrist, hurdled it out one of the broken in windows of their hideout. "I know how vampire magic works," Nora said. 

"How?" Ruby asked. "I mean, Weiss barely knew what a vampire was!"

Nora didn't answer her. 

"Are you ever going to talk to me?" Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Bring up a subject I'm okay with talking about," Nora replied. 

How did anyone know anything, really? She was told by someone who would know. Obviously...a vampire had to know about how his own powers worked. 

_"You're pretty small...how old are you?"_

He had raised her. Been a father to her. Taken her in, so she didn't have to live on the streets anymore. He had done this with a lot of children. How else do you instill undying loyalty in your criminal organization, but by raising all of its members? And who was the best at getting through small entries and exits but a small child? 

"I...can get that," Ruby said, looking away. "Weiss...apparently, she has some bad history with her family. She doesn't talk about it, though I think she told Yang."

Bad history with family. That just about summed up Nora's life. First, her parents hadn't even raised her themselves. Then, she was taken in from the streets by a criminal vampire mastermind. And when she finally got away from him, she found Li Ren. 

Who, apparently, had lead a bunch of noblemen to their deaths so Blake could...what? What did she want with them? What use could she have for them? 

"Everyone needs their privacy," Nora said, stretching out one leg by their makeshift campfire. "I...I never even told Ren about him."

"Him?"

"Dammit, forget I said that," Nora said, waving her off and looking away. 

Ruby reached over and touched her neck--where the skin was still damaged. Nora winced, but allowed Ruby to examine the still healing wound. 

"Neither of Blake's lackey's had wounds like this," Ruby said. "And they both seemed perfectly comfortable. You haven't stayed in the same position for ten seconds."

Nora shoved away her hand. "Your point?"

"I think...you should have stayed asleep for a bit longer," Ruby said. "Your fangs aren't as long as mine, either. It looks like you're...kind of...half baked."

"Ouch," Nora replied. "But that fits what I've heard about dhampirs."

"Who told you about dhampirs?" Ruby asked. 

_"She's just a kid!"_

_"This kid killed two armed men earlier. She is punished the same as her fellows."_

"...He was a vampire himself, so I'm willing to trust him on this," Nora replied. "And dammit, stop asking me about that!"

"Sorry," Ruby apologized, sitting back. 

They sat in silence for a long time. "Sorry to bother you again, but, uh..." Ruby awkwardly ran a hand through her hair. "Summer said something about having a strong will? It kinda sounded like...Blake can control people she turns?"

Nora considered her answer carefully. "Not exactly," she said. "I wouldn't have known had _he_ not explained it, but...if a dhampir turns someone, then that person...their brain just automatically trusts everything they say. Everyone she turns is fifty times more likely to believe her when she spouts her self-righteous bull shit."

"Including you?"

Nora nodded. "It's...weird. It was almost like...she was believing things _for_ me." She shuddered again. 

"Yikes," Ruby said. She stretched, leaning back. "I'll stay awake a bit longer, you go to sleep. When I feel like I can't stay awake any longer, I'll wake you up and we can switch."

Nora nodded, lying down. She sighed. "His name was..."

Ruby froze, listening. She looked disappointed, then looked away. 

Nora sighed. "Roman Torchwick. But that's all I'm telling you, so don't even ask."

"You got it."

Nora sighed. Trusting people was hard, except when she absolutely couldn't trust them...like Blake. The road ahead was going to be rocky, but Nora...she felt she could handle it. 

Probably. 


	28. Cursed Town

"Where the fuck are we?" Yang burst out, kicking a rock with force. It skipped and sailed through the abandoned town, landing in a bush. 

Empty buildings lined the street, aged and crumbling. Signs were faded and rotting, and only a few buildings were in livable conditions. 

"Yes, I'm sure the rock was very evil," Weiss said with a roll of her eyes. "And if we don't want to alert every bandit and lowlife between here and Salem's castle, we'll want to kick every single rock we come across."

"Everyone calm down," Ruby cautioned. "I'm sure we'll find something soon enough to tell us where we are."

"I hope so, because getting captured and ransomed by bandits is not on either of our agendas," Pyrrha said. Nora held her, with the red-head's arms bound behind her back. So far, she hadn't tried anything. 

Yang sighed, looking into a nearby building. "I'd kinda hoped that the first town I went to would be--well, I dunno. A town. This place is just empty. There's no one even here."

"Well, you aren't missing much, in that case," Weiss joked with a half smile. "Damn, is this place actually gray or is that just me?"

"Oh, no, there's plenty of vibrant colors around here," Nora said sarcastically. 

"I hadn't noticed," Weiss replied dryly. 

Nora frowned. "Are you...colorblind?"

"Half, thanks to Blake," Weiss answered casually. 

"Mountain Glenn," Ruby burst out suddenly. 

There was a stunned silence. Everyone turned to her and Yang, who were looking at a sign by the building they'd been standing next too. "Where did you hear that name?" Nora asked slowly. 

"I figured this place looked like an inn," Yang said, thumbing over her shoulder. "So I looked for the sign, and, true to all the books I've read, it is called, 'the Mountain Glenn Inn'."

"That's where we are?" Pyrrha said, looking horrified. 

"Summer couldn't have mentioned that this is where the tunnel lead out?" Ren cried. 

"That woman hasn't left her front lawn in over twenty years," Weiss explained. "Of course she wouldn't have known..."

"Known what?" Ruby asked. 

"Think about it," Weiss said. "Two hundred vampires versus ten thousand humans. How did it end in a draw? Why weren't they just utterly destroyed?"

"Um...I dunno," Ruby said with a shrug. "I never asked Mom about it."

"Queen Salem used her magic to summon horrible monstrosities called Grimm," Nora answered. "But near the end of the war, something happened, and a large amount of Grimm...she lost control of them. They destroyed a town that had been considered neutral ground. Hundreds of innocents died."

"But the Grimm...never left," Weiss continued. "They stayed in Mountain Glenn, even when the war ended, shortly after. Every child hears horror stories about this place..."

"It's also supposed to be built on the edge of a cliff, so, be careful near those bushes," Ren added. 

"Well, we haven't seen any of these Grimm so far, so it looks like we're in the clear," Yang said. 

A roar interrupted any further conversation. All eyes focused on a wolf...pitch black with white spines and red eyes, walking on its hind legs. It growled, snarling, then rushed forward with a scream. 

Yang let out a startled cry and fell over backwards, away from it. Ruby intercepted it and sawed it in half with one clear swing. The Grimm burst into black smoke, vanishing. 

"That wasn't so bad," she said. Several more howls interrupted Weiss's sarcastic response as the group turned to a pack of more Grimm. 

"Why do you guys even bother talking?" Pyrrha said with a sigh. Ruby lunged forward, quickly killing two of the Grimm before backing off when the pack advanced. Nora shoved Pyrrha off her feet, pulling out the mace Weiss had brought for her. Ren lunged in, slashing and stabbing and killing several Grimm himself. 

Weiss pulled out her sword--or rather, her half a rapier. "Fuck," she muttered, watching her friends quickly clean up the Grimm. 

Yang stepped over to her. "You over hyped the hell out of those things."

Weiss didn't answer. 

"We'll get you a decent sword soon enough," Yang said, patting her on the back. "Then you'll be slaying all the demons with the fam!"

"Never say 'fam' again," Weiss said firmly. 

"Yes, ma'am."

"I hate you."

"You love me. Admit it."

"For the record, there happen to be plenty of unoccupied rooms around here," Pyrrha said with a snort of laughter. Weiss kicked her, ending the laughter. 

"Just ignore her," the human girl said. Yang said nothing, looking away. "Good job guys," Weiss called out. "Now let's get out of here before any more arrive."

"ARRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAARR!" 

"Can you guys just shut up for five seconds? So we can power walk out of here?" Pyrrha cried. 

The next Grimm was much bigger, standing ten feet tall with a lot more spines. It roared, then stumbled forward, a massive broadsword in its back. A tall, thin man landed on top of the sword, balanced as the blade went through the Grimm. The Grimm collapsed, and the man stepped off, picking up his sword and taking a swig from a flask. He had black hair, and Weiss noticed he had a hefty scar on his shoulder. Four more armed humans came over on horses, but Weiss didn't remove her gaze from their leader. 

Unfortunately, it made a little too much sense. Mountain Glenn was on the border, which is why it was treated as neutral ground. It was also a short travel from House Rose. Tai could have taken her there, and then she just decided to live there. 

"Who are you?" one of the horse riders demanded. 

The leader stepped forward, walking a circle around their group and turning his attention to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha Nikos," he said. 

"Ah," the red-head said. "You recognize me."

He narrowed his eyes, scoffing. He looked over their group, and his eyes settled on Ruby, widening, then narrowing again. "And what exactly are you doing?" he asked.

Unfortunately for everyone, Ruby started talking. 

"Umm...okay. So, you know Blake Belladonna? The Butcher of Menagerie? So, apparently, she is not exactly sane anymore. She even grabbed and turned about twenty people to vampires. To, uh, incite rebellion? I think? I didn't really stop to ask her, y'know? But, um, we saw her attacking innocent people. So we were like, 'no way!' So we tried to stop her, and, uh, that didn't go so well. Weiss got hurt, we didn't eve inflict any harm on her that lasted, and Nora got kidnapped and turned trying to rescue us. So we spent a day or two recovering, and then Weiss decided, 'I'm gonna go out and attack her again!' I, uh, I'm still not sure on the 'why' there, but she did. Yang and I, we really didn't want her to die, right? She's as much our sister as if she were actually our sister! So we just went out after her, to stop her from attacking Blake. We got there, and Weiss and that guy--Ren, I think?--were beaten, so we went over to save them. We..." She paused. "We got our butts whooped. Hard. Mom came in to save us, and I wanted to help her, so we could beat Blake, which seemed easily possible, cuz Yang can somehow negate Blake's magic, cuz she's a dhampir. But, uh, there was this super chonk vampire there, and we couldn't get past him, so we had to run. Mom came back later, and sent us through a secret passage so we could get a head of Blake, so we could go and warn Salem about this, so she wouldn't get her butt whooped, and then have Blake go and wage war on humanity." She inhaled, exhaled, and panted. "Whew. Also, we took one of Blake's minions hostage so we could potentially survive if Blake catches up to us."

"Hello again!" Pyrrha added. 

There was a long, long silence. "Captain Qrow?" one of the horsemen said. 

_Qrow? Wow, Summer was way off,_ Weiss thought. Qrow took a swig from his flask--which smelled like alcohol. "It's all true," she attested. _He might be tempted to think Ruby lying, but maybe I can vouch for her._ "I wouldn't have believed it either, if I hadn't lived through it myself."

Qrow shook his head. "Well, I'm here to keep the Grimm out. I don't know what the _fuck_ is going on with you kids, but I wish you luck with...whatever it is you were doing." He turned and walked towards his men. 

"We have gotten absurdly lucky today," Yang said with a thumbs up. 

A scream rang through the town. Not a human scream. A scream of pure rage. 

Qrow stopped in his tracks. "What was that?"

"Knucklavee," Weiss breathed. 

A wagon sailed through the air, flying right towards her. 


	29. Assault

Weiss jumped to the side, pulling Pyrrha with her as a wagon full of bladed weapons shattered against the ground. 

"That would have hurt," Pyrrha commented, staring at the wooden splinters. "Thanks."

Another scream split the air, and a building collapsed as the shadowy figure of a horse rider moved through smoke and rubble. Two piercing red eyes glared at them as Knucklavee screamed again. 

"I am buying this guy's horse, cuz that thing made the ride in one night," Nora said. "Six times faster than a normal horse."

"What do we do?" Ruby asked. 

"We fight," Yang said, stepping forward with one fist pumped. After a second, she said, "Wait, I don't--I can't actually--do anything to him. I can't get into melee to punch, and there's no blood..." Nora stepped in front of her, swinging her mace and wrapping arcane magics around her other hand. "C'mon. We got this." She jumped past the horse riders, firing blasts of magic. The harpoons swung, deflecting them as Knucklavee turned to attack her. 

"What the fuck is going on?" one of the riders burst out. 

"The Knucklavee," Qrow growled. "One of the vampires who fought in the war. Hated even by his own kind. Twisted beyond anything seen by his hunger."

"Just get to safety," Ruby said. "We won't be able to protect you and fight-- _ack!_ " She ducked beneath a harpoon, then jumped into the fight with Nora. Ren moved in, firing crossbow bolts at Knucklavee. 

Weiss clenched her fist around her half a rapier. She had no training in ranged weapons. She couldn't risk getting into melee with Knucklavee. She couldn't fight him. She was powerless. Just like against Blake, nothing she could do mattered. And just like...

Like...

The ringing of a slap echoed around in her mind. Her father's abusiveness would forever be with her, like Blake's strike. She touched the scar on her cheek, watching her friends fight for _her_ life. So all of them could live, and save others.

_No._

_No._

She spun and dug in the broken wagon, throwing splintered boards out of her way. She dug under the wagon, then pulled out a rapier. A decent sized one, with, she checked, her family's crest on the handle. No one made better weapons, no matter how much she hated to admit about her father's work. She hefted her whole rapier, and the half one, then stepped beside Yang. With a deep breath, she cut a large gash into her palm. 

"Weiss?" Yang cried with alarm. 

"You need ammo, right?" Weiss asked, holding up her bleeding hand. "We are taking him down together. As a team. As one. Cuz you two are my family now." She met Yang's gaze. "So take it."

With a sigh, a rather large amount of blood left Weiss's hand. Then, Yang healed the wound. "Come on. Let's do this." 

Weiss tucked into a roll, dodging beneath a harpoon swing as she began closing the distance to Knucklavee. A blast of red magic hit his shoulder, glancing right off the armor. With a rasping shriek, Knucklavee spun to look at Ruby. "Over here, ya wrinkly ol' goat!" Ruby cried. She let out her own shriek as she dodged past a harpoon flung her way. A bolt hit Knucklavee's helmet, sending it ringing. Knucklavee shook his head, crying out as his horse spun about. Just in time for Weiss to jump past him, slashing at his arm where he had no armor. Weiss slid past, pointing the tip of her...now blunt rapier...directly at him. 

A splash of greenish black blood hit the ground and immediately began smoking and burning the cobblestones, cracking them almost immediately. Knucklavee screamed, his horse rearing and neighing. Weiss backed away as the gargantuan hooves slammed into the ground next to her. Knucklavee swung a harpoon at Weiss, the bladed weapon digging up cobblestones as it dragged. Weiss somersaulted away, backing farther away as Knucklavee spun to focus on her. Nora jumped over, sailed just past Knucklavee, but managed to right herself and slam her mace into his side. Knucklavee slashed up at her with his claws, and she blocked with her mace. Then she stumbled back as the harpoon fell straight down at her. Nora blasted Knucklavee with magic, but the vampire simply rode through it and backhanded her. Nora slid across the ground, hitting a wall with a thud, her eyes shutting. 

Qrow blurred past the Knucklavee, his blade ringing off the vampire's armor. "Remember me, you bastard?" he cried. Knucklavee screamed in pure rage, swinging both his harpoons down at Qrow. Qrow dodged back and around, attacking Knucklavee's horse. Qrow's soldiers fired crossbows, none of which pierced the armor. Knucklavee screamed, swinging back at Qrow. Yang lashed out with her blood ribbon, deflecting the harpoon and giving Qrow the chance to slash open the horse's flank. Yang ran close to the ground, running for Nora while keeping an eye on Knucklavee. Ren moved with her, looking worriedly from his friend to his enemy. 

Ruby fired off several magic bolts, and the Knucklavee spun his harpoon around, blocking blast and swinging an attack himself. Ruby blocked with a magic shield which immediately cracked from the pressure. "Get away from her!" Weiss snarled, hurling her pointed half-rapier. Knucklavee twisted, catching it out of midair when one of Qrow's soldier's landed a crossbow in the vampire's shoulder, in between the armor plates. With a cry, he spun rapidly and threw Weiss's blade at her, the blade skewering the rider in the hip and dismounting her. "Velvet!" her comrade cried, riding over while firing at Knucklavee. Knucklavee swung at her, deflecting the bolt and attacking in one smooth motion. Yang snapped out with her ribbon, protecting the rider as she rushed over to help the injured one. 

_Nora's fine. Focus on the people who require immediate help,_ she told herself. 

"You're name's Velvet?" she asked the rider, leaning down besides her. She spared a glance over her shoulder, seeing her friends keep Knucklavee busy. _Keep her talking and distracted,_ she told herself. She found a knife up to her throat from Velvet's friend. "If you want me to save her, I suggest you remove that," Yang said firmly, flashing red eyes at her. The woman hesitated, then lowered, but didn't drop, her knife. 

"I'm--Velvet," the woman gasped. 

Yang pulled up Velvet's shirt to look at the wound. _This had to have gone through bone,_ she thought with a spike of alarm. _How hard did he throw that thing?_ "And this is your friend?"

"Coco Adel," the other woman introduced. 

"Yang Xiao Long. It hasn't been a pleasure, but it ain't your fault," Yang replied. "Cover Velvet's mouth."

"Why?" Coco demanded. 

"Cuz none of us want to risk alerting Knucklavee with her scream, just in case," Yang said. "Why risk it? Help me, dammit!"

"Just do it," Velvet said. Coco clamped her hand over Velvet's mouth, and Velvet closed her eyes, bracing herself. Yang grabbed the rapier by the handle and gave a light tug to no avail. Grimacing, she yanked hard, pulling it out and throwing it to the side. Velvet whimpered as Yang hurriedly began closing the wound. "I'm no master doctor, but I've read a lot of books on it," Yang said as she worked. "Thankfully, I've never really needed that much hands-on experience before. Up until recently, my life hasn't been difficult."

Velvet nodded. "Good for you," she croaked. 

Yang grimaced, looking at Velvet. "It's gonna scar, and possibly get infected. I don't have any of my supplies with me...ah, fuck," she muttered, looking back to Knucklavee. Another of Velvet's fellows had been dismounted, hitting the ground and falling unconscious. She jumped and ran over to help him, and she pulled him over by Velvet. "Not good."

Qrow's sword flung aside as Knucklavee screamed again. Qrow himself hit the ground and slid down into a pile of rubble. Knucklavee turned to face the unconscious Qrow, but was interrupted by Weiss throwing her other rapier at him. It bounced off his armor without hurting him, but he turned his attention to her with one last sparing glance at Qrow. 

Nora began running for Knucklavee, but suddenly found a rope wrapped around her neck. Pyrrha tackled Nora, one of her hands unbound, but red and cut. Weiss turned to go help her, but was thrown off her feet by one of Knucklavee's attacks. She hopped back to her feet, dodging more of the harpoon swings. 

Which was when Ruby jumped in, blocking a swing with Crescent Rose. She grunted, budging in her stance, but the harpoon was knocked away. Knucklavee hissed in surprise, riding closer. 

"Weiss, get back!" Ruby said. "I can handle this!"

"No you can't! This guy just took down five different people!" Weiss replied. "We need to retreat!"

"We can't outrun him," Ruby pointed out. "He's too fast."

Knucklavee waited patiently, swinging a harpoon in circles. "But you're not doing this alone," Weiss said firmly. She rolled across the ground, past the swing of harpoon that barely missed her and retrieving her blunted rapier. Greenish blood still coated the blade. She somersaulted over the harpoon...but with the corner of her eye, caught the flick of Knucklavee's wrist. The harpoon snapped back the other direction, hitting Weiss in the back. Thankfully, it was the blunt side, but she was still thrown off her feet. With a cry of victory, Knucklavee swung down at her. Weiss rolled out of the way just in time as bits of the cobblestone road flew into the air. 

"Wait! Blake wanted her alive!" Pyrrha called out. Knucklavee screamed, attacking Weiss again and again, each time getting closer to hitting. 

"No!" Ruby screamed, jumping to intercept a harpoon. 

"No!" Weiss cried back, grabbing Ruby and throwing her out of the way. The harpoon caught her on the shoulder, sending her sprawling. Weiss hit the ground, looking up at Knucklavee. The vampire screamed in triumph, then threw a harpoon down at her. 

"No, you idiot!" Pyrrha cried. She jumped, grabbing Weiss and pulling her aside. The two landed in a bush, then went through it. Pyrrha's eyes widened in fear as she saw the steep drop down into a thick forest.


	30. Birds of a Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So hurricane Douglas is hitting. And guess which writer lives in Hawaii! That's right, it's a-me! So, I think I might lose internet to the hurricane, and the risk is too high for me to try posting anything tomorrow. And don't worry if I end up not posting anything for a few days after. If I don't lose internet, I'll still try and respond to comments immediately, and I'll let you guys know if everything's alright come Sunday. 
> 
> Cuz of all that, I did cut the chapter a little short, but who cares. I'm not removing scenes, they're just not happening in the same chapter...which they weren't anyway.

Weiss blinked a few times. She freaked out when half the sky was a deep gray, then let out a sigh as she remembered her scar. She tried sitting up, but the pain that flared throughout her body sent her back down. 

"Believe me, if that had been the type of fall you simply two-stepped away from, I would have already," Pyrrha said. "I reckon we've been out, what, ten, thirty minutes?"

"What? What about Knucklavee?" Weiss tried again to rise, but flopped back down. 

"If they lived or not, there's nothing you can do about it," Pyrrha replied. "Besides, if the fall didn't mess up my sense of smell, things are about to get worse for us."

"What are you going on about?" Weiss snapped, turning to look at Pyrrha. 

A boot stepped in between them. "Hey, Vernal. Look at this," the man said. A young woman stepped over, grinning like a maniac. She picked up Weiss's rapier, examining the blunted blade. "Ooh. Rich people. I'd say we got ourselves a catch. What do you say, Raven?"

A woman in a red shirt stepped over. She wore high boots and short, black pants. A sheathed sword was attached to her belt, and multiple bead necklaces hung from her throat. A mess of uncombed black hair cascaded over her shoulders, but the worst part was her face. She wore a mask made out of a vampire's face. Two red eyes peaked through the eye holes as she watched them. "Oh, yes," she agreed. "A catch indeed." 

"Weiss?" Yang called out, stumbling through a bush. It had taken the better part of an hour to head into the ravine situated on the opposite side of a small bush. "Of all the luck..." she muttered. Knucklavee had apparently decided he had better things to do, and had immediately dived down the ravine after them. Yang doubted he'd made much better time than them, given he was riding a horse with a gash on its leg. 

"Weiss!" Ruby called out. "Where are you?"

Ren bit his lip. "Miss Schnee?" 

Nora sighed. "I hate to say it...but we might...need to..."

"Don't you dare say what I think you're about to," Yang snarled, flashing red eyes her way. "We're not leaving her!"

"While that had occurred to me, I figured you wouldn't agree to that," Nora replied. "I was going to suggest splitting up."

"That's almost as bad!" Ruby replied. "If we split up, we'll be easy targets! Knucklavee beat us when we were all together."

"If we can't find her soon, we'll have to assume she's moving onward," Ren said in a quiet voice. "If we stay too long, Blake will be upon us."

Yang spluttered, glaring at him. "You--I can't even--"

"I'm not too happy about it either," Ren said. "She seems like a good person--"

"You don't even know her!" Yang cried. "How can you suggest leaving her behind?"

"I'm not!" Ren snapped. "Did running back into danger count as me leaving Nora behind? No! Weiss is smart. She knows that there isn't time to wander aimlessly in the woods, and will go to the place where we both know we're going. We can meet up at the capital."

"Enough!" Nora hissed, holding up a hand. There was silence in the woods. Yang sniffed, then snarled. 

Ruby grimaced. "Bandits?" She pulled down her scythe. 

Nora sniffed a few times. "They've clearly been busy," she muttered, running through a bush. Yang and Ruby followed, leaving Ren to catch up. "What is it?" he asked. 

"Blood," Yang said. "And lots of it."

After a minute of searching, they found the remnants of a battle. Or more properly, a massacre. Almost twelve bandits lay dead on the ground, all killed by what looked to be harpoon-like weapons. And large footprints lead away into the woods. 

"Dammit," Yang muttered. She pushed past Nora, falling down on one knee besides a bandit's corpse. She reached out only to have him grab her hand. "Don't," the still living bandit said. 

"But I can save you," Yang began. 

"None of your magic, dhampir," the man said quietly, breathing slowly. "I die...a warrior's death. That thing...fought with honor. I'm no coward. I...am ready."

Yang nodded. "Before you do, though. Where. Is. Weiss?"

The man squinted his eyes at her, then nodded. "Her...and the vampire were captured. Raven thought...she could ransom them. You... _you_ can convince her to let your friends go."

"How?" Yang said. "I don't even know who she is!"

"But she...knows you," the man chuckled. "She's...your mother, after all..." He closed his eyes, leaning back against the tree. His breathing slowed, and stopped. 

They were left alone in the forest with the scent of blood and a scream of rage in the air. 


	31. Stuck With Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I left that big thing about the hurricane? Yeah, it went like 90% of my League of Legends skillshots and missed Hawaii. I woke up and it was halfway through the morning before anyone thought to tell me XD.   
> On the bright side, I'm glad to still be able to write for you guys! 
> 
> Again, a shorter one, but I wanted to get it out, and there isn't too much action happening right now.

Weiss opened her eyes, waking up slowly. The cage she was in was about six feet on all sides, with little comforts. And Pyrrha was about the opposite of a comfort. "You won't get much of a ransom, I'm afraid," Weiss again told her single guard--the woman called Vernal. "If my father lived still, there's no way in hell he'd pay to have me back after kicking me out."

"We'll see about that," Vernal growled. She examined Weiss's rapier, tapping the blade. "What...exactly did this?" she asked in a concerned tone. 

"Something that you'd never be able to take on," Weiss replied. 

"Way to be helpful," Pyrrha muttered. 

Weiss glared at her. "Snarking off a bandit and starting a civil war are two different things. One is pointless, the other causes nothing but harm."

"Wars can be fought with noble intentions," Pyrrha said. 

"Quit deluding yourself," Weiss replied. "You think setting a madwoman on the throne will solve anything?"

Pyrrha sat up, glaring down Weiss. "She is not half as mad as either of you seem to think," she snapped. "She's got a board or two loose, but doesn't everyone? At the end of the day, she's no worse than anyone else!" 

"She...thinks she's mad?" Weiss asked, surprised. 

Pyrrha looked away. "She...she believes she is not able to think logically," Pyrrha said. "That's why she wanted me. So...I would end up on the throne for her."

This was news to Weiss. Pyrrha grimaced. "I can do this," she muttered to herself, evidently forgetting Weiss was there. 

"As cute as this is," Raven said, "I don't much care for it."

The bandit leader stepped forward, leaning over as she eyed them. Her mask of skin made Weiss shudder. She avoided meeting Raven's eyes, not wanting to pay too much attention to the mask. The more she looked at it, the worse it seemed. She had realized that the mask appeared to have been cut off a vampire's face. The lips were sewn shut. The eyelids still had eyebrows attached to them. 

"What are you two doing all the way out here?" Raven asked. "Running away? Running towards something?"

Weiss scoffed, refusing to answer. She'd had lessons on being kidnapped and ransomed. Her tutor had been strict, but necessarily so. "In this event, it is unlikely you'll make it home," he'd said. 

But now, Weiss had a home she wanted to return to. She needed to escape. 

"You are going to answer me, or both of you are going to suffer," Raven said firmly. 

"What are you going to do?" Pyrrha snorted. "Beat us? Make your merchandise unsellable?"

Raven flexed one hand, cracking her knuckles. Lightning flared between her finger tips, lighting up the two youths' darkened cage. "I am much more concerned with the safety of my people than making a dime," Raven said coldly. "Two people means a backup if I go overboard. You were fighting something, and I very much want to know what."

"That's...not possible," Pyrrha said, eyes widening. 

"Dear child, you have but walked this Earth half as long as I have. Who are you to tell me what is possible?" Raven reached through the bars and grabbed Pyrrha by the throat. "Now. I ask again. What were you fighting?"

"That guy could have at least told us where his camp was," Nora muttered. "I can't tell a damn thing from the scents, even if I knew how to distinguish them well enough."

"Yang?" Ruby said, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. "How you holding up?"

"Decently," Yang said with a shrug. "We'll be finding Weiss soon enough. With bandits around, I doubt Knucklavee will make a move. I...could have saved that guy, but this...Raven person...she'll understand, right?"

"Your...mother, huh?" Ruby said. "Must be exciting." 

"Fuck," Nora burst out with. She dropped to the ground, examining a footprint. "Horse print. And no tiny one, either. This is Knucklavee's."

"Where's he going?" Yang asked. "If he's heading towards the bandit camp--"

"I don't suggest going any closer to him than we have to," Nora interrupted. "We can find it on our own--or they--will find...us..." 

Several crossbows peeked out of the trees, aimed at the group of four. Nora stood up, hand on her mace. 

A bandit stepped out from behind a tree, aiming a hand crossbow for Nora. Nora narrowed her eyes, then chuckled, stepping aside so the bandits could see Yang. 

The bandit narrowed her eyes, then widened in surprise. She regained her composure quickly, then, with clear hesitance, put away her crossbow. "Follow me."


	32. Improved Relations

"I swear, that's all I know!" Pyrrha gasped, shrinking back from Raven. Her face now bore a large burn mark from Raven, but her resistance had been short lived. She'd been taken out of the cage, and now lay on the ground, gasping for breath. 

Raven cracked the knuckles on one hand, lightning coursing through her arm. 

"Enough!" Weiss snapped. "Leave her alone! She's told you, that's it, and she's not lying about it!" She stood up, grabbing a hold of the bars on her cage. 

Raven's eyes narrowed. "If it is true, isn't she your enemy? Don't you want her out of your way?"

"I don't like seeing anyone suffer unnecessarily," Weiss said firmly. "Leave. Her. Alone."

"Hmph," Raven muttered. She always kept her left hand on her sword, and didn't move it then. "Well, then, Schnee. What do you--"

"Raven." Vernal had returned, stepping close. 

"What is it? What could possibly be worth interrupting me right now?" Raven snapped, spinning on Vernal. 

"Their friends arrived," Vernal replied, nodding towards Weiss. "And one of them is called Yang Xiao Long."

Raven didn't answer for a long moment. "Did you confirm it?" she finally asked. 

"Yeah. She looks like him and acts like you." Vernal nodded vigorously. "And she somehow knows who you are. Perhaps she ran into the Mongrel and his scouts?"

"Perhaps," Raven said quietly. "Put Pyrrha back in her cell. Lock 'em up, keep watch on them. I'm...I'm going to go talk to Yang." She turned and strode away, betraying nervousness for a split second. Vernal caged Pyrrha, then stepped back, watching after Raven. 

"You alright?" Weiss asked. 

Pyrrha scooted slightly away, then nodded. "I'm good," she said. "You're...interesting. I see why Blake wants you on our side. You're a good person, Weiss."

"I am not joining her," Weiss said. "Pyrrha, she's controlling you. Ruby told me. Dhampirs can--"

"--influence people they've turned?" Pyrrha finished with a raised eyebrow. "She told me about that beforehand. She knows, I know. I made my decision while human. And it was my decision. I decided that I wanted to change the world for the better."

"You really think that this will help?" Weiss asked. 

"You've had everything handed to you on a silver platter," Pyrrha said. "How do you know what pains other people have gone through?"

Weiss grabbed her by the collar. "Exactly," she snapped ferociously. "I had a father who cared for nothing other than his money and his fame. Any time I acted outside of his idea for the perfect little daughter--a beating. Bruises and bruises, day after day. And eventually, he decided that I wasn't good enough, just like my older sister, and he had me thrown out. And you know what I learned?"

Pyrrha grabbed Weiss's hand and pried it off. "Sorry. I didn't--"

"I learned that even if someone else was horrible, there would always be the nice people willing to go through pain for you," Weiss said. "House Rose was there for me. Blake...wasn't. Blake is not the one who helped me when I needed help. Yang, Ruby...all of them. They were."

Pyrrha didn't answer. She looked away. "We've both had family issues, eh?"

"Perhaps." Weiss didn't know anything about Pyrrha. Raven clearly thought she could get a ransom off her, though, so most likely, the redhead was a noblewoman. 

"I...I..." Pyrrha sighed, then turned on her side, looking away. Weiss turned her attention to where Raven had gone, hoping that Yang would be able to help.

The bandits waited patiently as Raven came close. She was...different than Yang had expected. Raven's eyes passed over Nora, Ren, Ruby, and finally rested upon Yang. Recognition flashed through her eyes, and she muttered, just loud enough for Yang to barely hear, "Dear God, she looks just like him."

She nodded her head towards a nearby tent. "Come. We need to talk." When Ruby took a step forward, Raven added, " _Just_ Yang," before walking into the tent. 

"I'll be fine," Yang said. With an intake of breath, she entered the tent. 

There were no chairs, and a red rug covered the ground. One or two dressers sat at the edges of the room, with ceramics on top of them. A small chest sat in front of Raven, who had her back to Yang. A miniature table sat in between them, and, with no where else to sit, Yang sat down opposite to her mother. 

Thankfully, Raven's first action was to remove the skin mask and set it on top of the chest besides a teapot. She brought out two cups, set them on the table, and poured some. 

"Now then," Raven said, her voice low. She seemed...tense. Like a deer that had been spotted. "You're what, twenty years?"

Yang nodded. Raven sipped her tea, and Yang tried her own tea. It...wasn't bad...

"It's not that bad," Raven muttered, seeing Yang's face. "...How did you find me? Were you looking for me?"

"We were heading for the capital," Yang said. "We were carrying warning of rebellion to Salem. Blake Belladonna, the-"

"I know who she is," Raven interrupted, sipping her tea. "I've met her, actually. While not friends, I think of her as someone I know."

Yang hesitated at that. "Believe me, I do not plan on helping her on purpose," Raven said firmly. "We worked together one time. That was that." She sipped her tea. "Continue."

"We were ambushed by Knucklavee--er, do you know who he is?"

"As much as anyone does," Raven answered. 

"He beat us soundly," Yang admitted. When Raven's expression didn't change, Yang added, "Weiss and Pyrrha were separated from us. We went to look for them. We found a bunch of your guys."

"Ahem." Raven raised a hand. "'Guys'?"

"It's a word," Yang said defensively. 

"Alright. Con--" She hesitated. "What did he look like?"

"Black hair, straggly. Rubbish beard." Yang shrugged. "I wasn't too focused on his appearance...but...he..."

"Tried engaging Knucklavee?" Raven guessed. 

"From what we could tell," Yang replied. 

"Mongrel, you idiot," Raven said with a shake of her head. "And was he..."

"We arrived just in time for him to die," Yang replied quietly. 

Raven watched Yang impassively. Judgingly. "Look. I just want my friend back. Please let Weiss go."

Raven sipped her tea. "It's mostly my own fault, but...I'm afraid I can't really do that just yet."

Yang raised an eyebrow, her eyes flashing red for a second. 

Raven sipped her tea. "I work everyday to keep my tribe safe. To keep them together, and to work towards their benefit. It is hard, Yang. Very hard. We could benefit greatly from a ransom, and I believe it would be folly to give that up to satisfy what basically amounts to a complete stranger."

"I'm your daughter!" Yang snapped. 

"Again, my own fault that I don't know you," Raven said quietly. "I really wish I had been a part of your life, but neither of us know the other." She sipped her tea, then set aside the empty cup. "I would like to know you, but as of yet, I don't."

"If you're not giving her back, I'm going to take her," Yang said firmly. 

Raven chuckled. "Oh?" She seemed amused. "You're going to take down an entire bandit camp?"

"Two trained vampires, a dhampir, and a human versus a bunch of people living out in the wilderness?" Yang said, equally confident. "I think we got it covered."

"I think there's a factor missing in your calculations."

"Same with yours." Yang pulled out a pocket knife, then slashed her palm open. The blood floated into the air as she held up her hand. "Magic, Raven. We have ma--"

Wings of lightning crackled from Raven's eyes as she held out a hand, a small spire of electricity crackling from her palm. 

Yang's jaw dropped. "That's...not possible! Humans can't use magic!"

"And where did you hear that?" Raven asked with a smile. 

"Summer?"

"Who is?"

"A vampire..."

Raven chuckled. "Did you ever ask Tai if he'd felt a storm coming before he saw it?"

"He..." Yang's eyes widened. "He had a big freak out when I told him it was going to rain that day. I...never could say how I knew it."

"Vampires are more magical in how they are put together, yes, but humans have their own magic. Humans are more attuned to the world around us. That is probably where the whole 'vampires are unholy' thing came from, despite the fact that two of the Apostles were vampires."

"I..." Yang shook her head. "We're off topic. Give me my friend back."

Raven considered it. Yang held her breath until Raven spoke. "Alright. But on one condition."

 _Greaaaat._ "What?" Yang said with gritted teeth. 

"I want to get to know you," Raven said with a shrug. "Once your done with your...little mission...come back here. We can chat, talk, have some fun." She hesitated, watching Yang. 

"Is...is that it?" Yang asked. "You're not, like, going to have me assassinate anyone or some shit like that?"

Raven chuckled. "Uh, no. I meant exactly that. I...regret not being able to spend more time with you. It was not by choice that I left, Yang."

"Why did you leave then?" Yang asked. 

Raven sighed, shoulders slumping. "Do you know how the war started?"

"No."

"The human king, Ozpin, had a vampire tell him about their kind's capabilities. It was when it got to dhampirs that he grew furious. The idea that these creatures could grab anyone, turn them into a vampire, and mind control them, was enough to spread panic through his kingdom. By the time the sun set, war was declared and the army was marching. It took ten, fifteen years of fighting to make him willing to negotiate a truce. The truce meant that both sides...would declare human and vampire marriages were declared illegal." Raven toyed with her empty cup, then added, "Tricking Tai into thinking I was a vampire was no easy task, nor one I managed to keep up for very long. It was shortly after you were born when he found out. I...fled." She shrugged. "There was no other option."

Yang listened, waiting for more. When Raven didn't say anything further, Yang finished with, "I think...I'd like to get to know you, too."

Raven smiled. "But first, I believe you have a job to do." She picked up the mask, then put it on. "I must say, however. The time we worked together, Blake and I? We were looking for something. We found it. But we also found the diary of the oldest dhampir that had lived. He detailed all the powers he had discovered, and how to strengthen them. Between that and...a possible magical artifact she found...she could be very, very powerful. _Do not fight her._ She will kill you. I couldn't take her on." She stood up with Yang. 

"What artifact?" Yang asked. 

Raven hesitated, walking past Yang, and starting to open the tent flaps. "A mirror to Salem's power. With this being a new Salem...Blake can take her in a fight. If she decides to use it, she'll have access to the same magics as Salem...and more."


	33. First Blood

"Weiss!" Weiss sat up, looking at Yang, who rushed over and knelt down besides the cage. "You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine," Weiss said as Vernal opened the cage. Weiss stepped out, Yang supporting her. Weiss started to say that she could walk just fine, but decided not to. Instead, she looked down towards the cage, where Pyrrha lay, looking the other way. 

"What about her?" Weiss asked. 

"Um, what about her?" Nora asked, hand on her hip. "It was just luck that we managed to get you out--luck I'd rather not push."

Weiss looked to Yang, then to the masked bandit leader. "Weiss...I..." Yang hesitated. "She attacked us. She works for Blake."

"If you ignore the fact that I don't trust this random bandit leader with a mask made out of _vampire's skin..._ " Weiss glared Yang down. "We could actually still use a hostage, just in case."

"Weiss, I really don't think pushing our luck is a good idea," Ruby said. "Let's just cut our losses."

"Just take her," Raven said, shaking her head. "I'm not sure her family would take her back if _I_ paid _them._ " She turned around, then added, "You'd better hold up on your end, Yang," before walking off. Vernal looked after her, then shrugged, letting Pyrrha out of the cage. "Would you guys like...I dunno...a chain or something?"

After a moment's silence, all round, Nora said, "Yes, please."

"Follow this path," Vernal said, pointing. "It'll lead you out of the woods and straight to the capital. It's not the shortest path, actually, but it's the one any pursuers will be likely to overlook."

"Thanks," Ren said with a nod. "We appreciate your kindness."

"Make sure Raven hears that next time you visit," Vernal told Yang with a wink before turning her horse around and heading back. 

"C'mon!" Nora said. "Let's keep moving. Knucklavee's location is unknown, so we want to keep ahead of him."

"What...deal did you make?" Ruby asked Yang as they started moving. 

"It wasn't much of a deal, on her part," Yang said slowly. "Really. I just said that after we went to Salem, I'd go back and spend some time with her. Which, really, I was planning on doing anyway." She didn't add anything about the specifics of her conversation, Weiss noted. Something Weiss was only going to prod about when the were alone. 

"Are you limping?" Yang noticed. 

"Not much," Weiss started, but before she could object, Yang picked her up and started carrying her. "Xiao Long!" Weiss snapped. 

"If we had time, I'd stop and make sure you had nothing broken," Yang muttered. "But no. We have to hurry, and I am not going to let you play tough when you're hurt."

Weiss sighed. "I can't make you stop, can I?"

"Nope. Prepare to be pampered." 

"Pyrrha? How you holding up?" Weiss asked. 

Pyrrha looked up. "I...why do you keep asking about me? Why do you care about me?"

"I told you earlier," Weiss said. "I don't like seeing people suffer unnecessarily."

Pyrrha didn't answer, looking down at the ground as she walked. 

"Should we stop so Yang can look at Weiss?" Ruby asked. 

"We cannot stop right now," Nora reaffirmed. 

"But Yang needs a lot of sleep," Ren countered. "Pretty soon, we're going to have to stop, especially if she keeps carrying Weiss. And since Knucklavee is definitely going to catch up to us, it would be best to stop and rest up before fighting him."

"We can't beat him, though," Weiss said. 

"We have to try," Ren said, clenching a fist around his weapon. "He can outrun us, and somehow, I don't think we're going to be able to hide from him. Especially given vampire's superior scent of smell."

"I can maybe break his nose," Nora offered. "Like I did with Blake."

"If it was just smell..." Ruby frowned. "How did he find us at Mountain Glenn? My sense of smell isn't that good."

"We're stopping," Yang declared. She stepped over to a fallen tree, laying Weiss down on it as she herself went down on her knees. "Tell me if this hurts," Yang said, tapping Weiss's legs. 

"Uh--nope. Not at-- _ow._ " Yang raised an eyebrow. "Bruises are bruises," Weiss said. 

"Well, I feel like if they were broken, you wouldn't have been able to tell me no." Yang looked around. "Ugh. Do we have any water?"

"Nor any food," Ren said hesitantly. "Which could be bad."

"I want to wash these cuts," Yang said with a grimace. 

"It's just some scrapes," Weiss said, brushing it off. 

Yang paused. "Yes...yes they are." She paused again. "Sorry in advance."

"What the hell do you think you're--" Yang flexed her fingers, and the dried blood on Weiss's legs flexed and rippled into the air. "There's not much, but I don't need much," Yang declared. She stretched out a hand, and dirt and rocks fell out of the flying blood. 

"Using blood to wash wounds?" Ruby asked skeptically. 

"What do you think its purpose is in the first place?" Yang asked. 

"Um...something about...carrying energy and emotion and all..."

"Well, that too," Yang agreed, moving the blood to wash off Weiss's wounds. Weiss shuddered, looking away. Yang wasn't sure why she found it quite so disturbing. It was blood--most her body was blood. But she knew it did in fact bother Weiss, so that was enough for Yang. "Blood sort of solidifies whenever you get an open wound. That's what scabs are."

"Oh. Really?"

Yang let out a frustrated mumble of incoherent words. "Done," she said. "So, it looks like you're fine. In any--"

A scream split the air. 

"Oh no," Yang said. 

Ahead of them, back on the path, one of the trees moved. Knucklavee stepped into view, his horse snorting, two red eyes watching the small party. Knucklavee let out another of his rasping breaths, gasping over and over again. 

Yang cracked her knuckles. The tiny amount of Weiss's blood was not enough to do anything with, and in Weiss's current state, she wasn't willing to let her friend lose anymore. Nora and Ren stepped forward, Ruby right behind them, weapons out. 

Weiss jumped to her feet, rapier out. 

"No!" Yang said firmly. 

"Like either of us have much choice," Weiss replied. "We have to, Yang."

Yang gritted her teeth. 

"You stand back and give emergency aid to anyone who gets hurt," Nora told Yang. "That's how you can help best right now."

"But I--" Nora lunged ahead, past Knucklavee's thrown javelin. Ruby rushed ahead with Weiss, and Ren began firing crossbow bolts. Yang gritted her teeth, clenching her hands into fists. If only she could help them--!

She lifted the small amount of Weiss's blood. Not enough to manipulate, really, to any combat use. But...

_No. I don't know what the side effects are..._

Consequences be damned, she drank it. She needed to help them _now._ She could worry about whatever else was going to happen later. Now...

Now she had to help. 


	34. Crippled

At first nothing happened. Yang gritted her teeth as she stood there, watching her friends fight for their lives while being unable to do anything. Then she shook, stumbling, with a sense of Weiss in her mind. 

_Defiant. But alone. No one there for her. Abandoned, by her sister. The only one she'd cared about. The only one that cared about her!_

_But not alone forever. Back. With new friends. New family._

_New love._

Yang stumbled, falling off her feet and gasping. That was a little more personal than she'd been hoping for...but had it worked? She cracked her knuckles, feeling strength through her muscles. It had worked. 

_Consequences later,_ she decided, running towards Knucklavee. He no longer seemed impossibly fast. She ducked beneath his harpoon that he swung at her, and slid past his horse, throwing a punch as she passed. The horse neighed in rage as she landed on her feet. Knucklavee swung a harpoon down at her, and with determination, Yang caught it. Knucklavee yanked on the cord, and Yang only slid a few inches. She dug her feet into the ground, pulling on the harpoon hard. Knucklavee screamed, his horse rearing as he moved back, pulling harder on the harpoon. "C'mon! I need help, guys!" Yang grunted, feeling her feet slipping. 

As her friends moved in to help, Pyrrha flexed her fingers. She twisted, gritting her teeth as she began tugging at her hands. She braced herself, but only succeeded in muffling her cry of pain. She dropped her bonds on the ground, then grabbed her hand, looking at her thumb, which was now bruised and purple. And broken. Pyrrha breathed deeply, sitting back and fighting back tears. She'd endured worse, hadn't she?

Weiss's blade, while blunt, was still capable of deflecting Knucklavee's harpoon. She and Yang dodged to the side as the other harpoon sent bits of rock flying into the air when it collided with the road. Nora jumped in, but was backhanded by Knucklavee. 

"Don't you dare!" Yang cried, jumping onto Knucklavee's horse. She grabbed hold of one of his spines, and tugged. Way to easily, it broke off. All the screams Knucklavee had let loose up until then were nothing to how he screamed then. Yang landed on her butt, holding up the bone spike. Knucklavee reared on his horse, screaming at her. Yang tumbled backwards, out of range as the hooves collided with the ground, shattering the cobblestones. Yang threw the spine, and missed, sending it hurtling into the woods. Yang backed off as Knucklavee moved forward before a blast of red magic hit his shoulder, destroying his pauldron, revealing a black, skinless shoulder. Knucklavee screamed, stumbling and turning to face Pyrrha. 

Pyrrha covered her mouth, staring. 

Knucklavee hissed and snarled. "I...I..." Pyrrha went off into an incoherent mumble, backing off. 

"Guess you don't like this!" Nora cried, firing a blast at Knucklavee's spines. With the second blast, she knocked one off. Knucklavee spun on his horse to face her, screaming. Ruby lunged in front of him, swinging Crescent Rose as hard as she could at the horse. The blade broke through the horse's armor, into its neck. Knucklavee screamed, slashing at Ruby as she dodged away. Ren fired a crossbow bolt, hitting Knucklavee's face. The bolt stuck in the side of the vampire's head, causing another scream. Weiss lunged past, snatching the harpoon from his loosened grip. With another cry, the Knucklavee's fingers closed around empty air as the cord slipped. Weiss held the weapon like a sword, glaring down Knucklavee. 

Yang jumped up, hitting Knucklavee hard enough to actually knock him off his horse's body. The vampire hit the ground, screaming again. He sat up, starting to swing the harpoon before Nora came over and slammed her mace into his elbow. The sound of the crack matched Knucklavee's scream as he turned his face to the sky. His mouth opened wide enough that the skin connecting his lips split. Yang stepped in front of him. 

"I guess we win this one," she said. "Fair and square, buddy."

Knucklavee breathed deeply, staring her down. Then, he shot his left hand out, moving fast as a blur. Yang didn't have time to dodge before his claws punched through her stomach and chest. Knucklavee screamed once more in primal rage, standing and lifting Yang high. 

A second blast of red magic hit him, this time in the neck. Acidic blood splattered across the ground, and Knucklavee screamed one last time, a scream that rasped and reverberated through the forest. He stumbled, and fell, dropping Yang as he died. 

"Yang!" Weiss cried, catching the dhampir as she fell. "You idiot!" Weiss said, tears falling down on her friend. "You should...have..." She blinked in surprise as the wounds closed themselves. Yang winced, watching. "How?" was all Weiss could say. 

"The blood I used to wash your wounds?" Yang said. "I, uh, couldn't think of anything else to do, so I...drank it."

There was a stunned silence. "I couldn't stand by and watch! I had to help!" Yang said defensively. "It was the only way I could think of..."

"Yang," Nora said. "I don't know if that was enough to do anything. I wouldn't have said so, but clearly, it did do something. That's the worst thing about this."

"Don't ever do that again," Weiss snarled. "Yang--what--how--what--" She shook her head, crying again. "What if I lose you?" 

Yang grabbed Weiss's hand in her own. "We will always have each other," she said firmly, sitting up, leaning towards Weiss. 

"Oh, God," Pyrrha said, falling to her knees. "I...I killed him."

All eyes focused on the corpse, which slowly disintegrated into black smoke. They watched as the plume of noxious smog rose into the air, clearing the treetops and dispersing. 

"Oh, God," Pyrrha gasped, hands over her mouth. "Blake's...Blake's gonna be furious. She spent so much work finding and controlling him. Getting him to listen to her. He...oh, God. I turned against her."

"Welcome to the good guys' side," Yang said with a grin. Ren stepped over, helping Pyrrha to her feet. "I'm...out of bolts," he admitted. "And none of them did anything to him."

"None of us really did anything to him," Nora said. "He was already falling apart."

"Our next attacker is most likely going to be someone who can be killed with a simple stab," Weiss told Ren, standing with Yang. Turning to the blonde, she said, "But seriously. Never do that--" 

Yang kissed her. "Heard you the first time," she said with a grin, stepping past the white-haired human. 

"So..." Ruby clapped a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "What now, ma'am?"

Pyrrha looked down at the ground. "I leave," she said. 

"Oh, come on!" Nora said, throwing a hand into the air. "Not even gonna help us? We could use a little more--"

"Blake has been drinking my blood to stay alive for almost ten years," Pyrrha interrupted. "She forged a blood bond between us. As a result, she and I can sense each other's locations. She can use me to track you as long as we're together." Pyrrha hesitated. "I wish I could go with you. I...I don't want to face her alone, and she'll know as soon as she sees-- _hell,_ she probably already knows! I can't fathom how she would, but she probably already knows."

"What now?" Yang asked. 

Pyrrha thought. "I'm...I'm going to take the path that Vernal woman told you to go down. I can take a side path and head to the human kingdom, see if I can get more help while _maybe_ leading Blake away. There's another path you can take--down that way. It has multiple towns you can stop at to get supplies, and you'll pass through Menagerie a few days before the capital. Blake won't want to go there, especially after what happened last time she was there. Maybe...maybe someone still lives there, someone who can help. He might be alive still..."

"Who?" Yang asked. 

"Her teacher," Pyrrha replied. "Her combat instructor, Adam Taurus." She took a deep breath, then started walking. She ripped a bit off her sleeve, banding her hand. "I wish you luck, and I wish I could...help you more. Somehow." She shook her head. "I don't know how you managed to convince me of this. But you did."

"Pyrrha? Thank you." Weiss nodded towards the redhead. Pyrrha nodded back, then departed from the group. 

"Alright," Yang declared. "On to Menagerie."


	35. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm generally faster about getting these out, srry! I got distracted :P

"Finally!" Yang said, striding into the town. "Now we can get supplies. Food and stuff."

"How?" Weiss asked. "Have you forgotten something, perhaps?"

"Not until you said that," Ruby said, turning to her. 

"They really haven't been out of their house before," Ren said in disbelief. Nora sighed, stepping around someone as they entered a shopping district. She hefted a bag of coins. "I never go anywhere without my purse," she said, stepping over to a stall. "I'll buy supplies, but I'm billing Summer later."

The shopkeeper laughed at that. "Supplies for a journey, eh?"

"We'll need food and drink," Nora declared, sliding the pouch forward. "How much have your prices increased, Leo?"

"But as much as your fangs," Leo said, leaning over. "Those new?"

Nora touched her fangs. "Oh, yeah. Those. Yeah, they're new."

"As're your friends!" Leo laughed, turning around and packing some foodstuffs into a bag. "Weren't you alone on your last trek through here?"

"Nora?" Ren asked slowly. 

Nora sighed. "I'm from the capital," she explained. "Where I was born and raised...until I decided I didn't want to live there anymore." She shrugged. "This town was my biggest stop before I ended up in your village."

"Talk about a homecoming," Ruby said, elbowing Nora in the sides. 

"You noticed the fangs?" Weiss asked Leo curiously. 

"Of course I noticed the fangs," Leo replied, sliding a bag forward. He counted under his breath, then said, "Two vampires." He opened another crate, pulling out a large bottle full of blood. 

Weiss backed off. "Better make it two," Nora said. "Weiss, Ren, you've spent your lives on the _human_ side of the border--er, I suppose all of you have, eh?"

"Technically, yeah," Ruby agreed. 

Nora sighed as Leo began counting out coins. "Things are different on this side--out of kingdom. Vampires don't really have their own kingdom, it's mostly just a collection of towns and cities. But if you look, tell me what you see."

"People going about their lives."

"Look closer."

Weiss examined, then listened. There were tons of people walking around...but the sound was quiet. And more than a few people had pale skin. 

"Vampires?" Weiss asked incredulously. 

"This is where they live," Nora replied. "The war veterans, and the ones who never got involved in the first place. All in all, there's a thousand or two total vampires, going by the last census I saw."

"Wasn't that, uh, a good ten years ago?" Leo asked, sliding the goods and the mostly empty purse back. 

"Give or take," Nora smiled back, hefting the bag. "Ruby, get the bottles please." Ruby obliged as Nora asked, "Hey, Leo. Is that...uh...that inn. What's it called...."

"Safe Haven?" Leo asked. 

"That's the one! Is it still open, or did the chick that ran it close it down?" 

"Oi, it closed down. I heard there was some problem with one of the guests...they knowingly took in a war criminal, apparently."

"Damn," Nora muttered. "Well, later!"

Leo waved her goodbye as they left. "Yeah! That Blake person ain't no hero!"

Nora shot a look over her shoulder, then turned back to the path. "Blake is just the worst," she declared. "I mean, you'd think she'd be well respected, at least on this side of the border, right? Nope! Turns out, kill enough people in horrible, gruesome ways that people start to dislike you."

"How bad was she?" Weiss asked. "All I've heard is the spooky stories Mother told me. That she hid underneath the bed and ate naughty children."

Nora scoffed. "Wouldn't put it past her. I still have this, mind you." She pointed at her scarred throat. 

Weiss grimaced. "Yang, you alright?" she asked. 

"Yeah," Yang said, stretching her arms over her head. "Not even tired."

"Doesn't that worry you?" Weiss asked. 

"A bit," Yang said with a shrug. "No problems yet, though."

Nora stopped, looking down a turn in the road. The other four stopped with her, following her gaze to a burned down building on a lawn littered with statues. 

Nora walked forward, looking up at the inn. "Damn," she whispered. "What happened here?"

Yang reached out and put a hand on one of the statues. "No clue," Yang said. 

Nora gritted her teeth, clenching her fists. "I...Blake has taken too much from too many. She needs to be stopped."

"I just wish she weren't so damn charismatic," Ruby muttered. Weiss looked at her, as Ruby said, "It would be one thing fighting just her, another fighting every random sucker she convinces to join her."

"I wish that more people were smart enough to figure out what she really is," Nora said with a nod. 

"It's unfortunate, but most people simply aren't smart enough for it," Ren agreed. 

"I dunno," a new voice said from behind. "Some people are smarter than you'd think."

They turned. The woman wore a white robe over a shirt and trousers, with a matching smile and blue eyes. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her duelist's saber was not hidden beneath her robe. 

"Winter?" Weiss said quietly. 

Winter smiled, flashing two fangs. "Hello, Weiss."


	36. A Winter's Tale

"It's not that big, nor is it, well, comfy for this many people," Winter said, leading the way into her house. Nora set down the bags of food by one of the single rooms only chairs, and Ruby set the containers of blood beside them. Weiss made sure to take a long path around it before sitting down in one of the chairs. Ruby and Nora, sat themselves on the floor, Yang sat on the arm of Weiss's chair, and Ren took his own seat. 

Winter sat down in the final chair, grabbing a wine glass from a cupboard seated beside it. 

"Is that..."

"Lambs' blood," Winter told Weiss. "Yes, it is exactly as freaky as it sounds, and tastes as bad as that, but it is a necessity." She poured a glass, then took a sip. "You must have questions."

"A lot of them!" Weiss burst out. "I thought you were dead!"

"In a sense, I did die," Winter replied. 

"You met Blake?" Nora asked. 

"I'll start from the beginning," Winter replied. "Six years ago, I ran away from home, stopping only to say goodbye to Weiss. It was not easy, and I would have taken Weiss with me if I had found a way. As it stands, I regret many things about that night. Regrets aside, I believed I was ready for the world. Damn, is twenty not a good age to be at. Thinking your an adult, that you're ready. I'd barely left the estate we were staying at before I was ambushed and captured by bandits. I don't know what they were planning, but I'm glad they never had a chance. I awoke three days later..."

The only thing that kept her from panicking was the low voice in the corner. The words started incoherent, but gradually became intelligible. 

" _...hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come...thy will be done...on Earth as in Heaven..."_

Winter sat up slowly, examining her surroundings. It was a one-room hut, with four beds near the center. One door stood at the far end, a window beside it, and a few baskets beneath that. A rotten portrait hung directly across from Winter, and she looked down to the final side of the room. A woman in a cloak kneeled before a hearth, with a young girl of about fourteen besides her, uncombed red hair down over her shoulders. 

They didn't appear to have noticed her awakening. Deciding to leave early, Winter slowly crept towards the door before the woman in the cloak stopped her. 

"I was hoping," she said, "you'd let me finish my prayers."

Winter sat back down, and the cloaked woman resumed her praying. It was not long before she finished and stood. "I am Blake Belladonna," she said, eyeing Winter. "This is Pyrrha Nikos. She's my...aide."

"Winter Schnee," Winter said. 

Blake made a disgusted face. " _Schnee._ You're family has hurt many of my people."

"...people?"

Blake curled her upper lip, flashing fangs. "I'm a dham--" She stopped as a throwing knife plunged into her shoulder. Winter pulled a second one out of her boot, readying it. 

"Blake!" Pyrrha cried, clutching the older woman. With a sigh, Blake pulled the knife out of her shoulder. "Hmph. Skilled. Why...why is this your reaction? Why are you so scared?"

"Back, hell-spawn!" Winter cried. 

"I'm sorry?" Blake said, blinking in surprise. "What exactly were you taught about us?"

"You're of Satan!" Winter cried. 

Blake winced. "Do not name him," she said firmly. "Moreover, did you not just hear my praying? I was literally praying to God not a full minute ago."

Winter hesitated. That alone clearly showed that most of what she'd been told of vampires was wrong. Didn't it?

And how much could she really trust her father's words?

Winter paused in her tale for a minute. "I hadn't realized Blake was so religious," Ren said. 

"More religious than that," Winter said with a snort. "I wouldn't call her religious, I'd call her fanatical. But, moving on...she explained to me all the truths about vampires. Every little thing we'd been told that was wrong. She finished by saying she'd turned me into one." She sipped her glass, glaring down at it. "Wouldn't shut up about how much better everything would be. Worst part about it is, she was half right." 

"In what way is she possibly right?" Yang demanded. 

"Vampires have more powers than humans do," Winter replied. "A lot more. If I could, there isn't much reason to go back to being human. But damn, am I never getting used to this." She held out a hand, a sphere of white magic in her palm. She crushed it, closing that hand into a fist. She inhaled, breathing out slowly. "I ran out the moment Blake turned her head, quickly found this village..."

Winter slowed her pace, breath coming in gasps as she arrived at the shopping district. Dozens of citizens went on their way, buying goods from various sellers. Winter leaned against a stall where no one was. 

"Whoa," the merchant behind the counter said, turning to look at her. "Everything all right?"

"Yes," Winter gasped. _Not in the slightest,_ she thought. She finally caught her breath, and looked down at her shaking hands. _I'm...I'm human...I'm human...._

"You running from someone?" the merchant asked, looking around. "Or just in a hurry?"

 _A bit of both._ She was certainly across the border by now. So she'd be in a territory with more vampires... _why did I choose this direction?_ she wondered. _This is the worst place I could have gone._ "Have you...do you..." Steadying her breath, she said, "Do you know of a Blake Belladonna?"

The merchant grimaced. "Aye. Few souls haven't heard of the Butcher of Menagerie, girl."

Winter shuddered. "That's who she was?"

The merchant looked at her. "You met her?" he burst out. 

Unsure what to do, Winter wondered away from him, shaking her head. She made her way through the market, unsure where to go. She eventually wound up in front of a burnt, crisp building with a dozen statues of people in various poses. She walked up the cobblestone path, looking back and forth. No one was around, even when she walked into the building itself. "Hello?" she called out. It didn't appear like anyone was there. She walked through what appeared to be an inn, up to the bar. 

"Miss Winter?" Winter spun, pulling out another throwing knife. 

The young redhead flinched, but didn't back down as she entered. Pyrrha, was it? "Um...the Mistress...wants to talk to you," she said quietly. 

"What happened here?" Weiss asked.

"The innkeeper gave Blake a place to stay," Pyrrha said. "The locals...didn't like her too much. A few of them...decided to be proactive." Pyrrha looked outside, at the statues. "Dhampirs sleep a lot. By the time Blake woke up that night...the innkeeper had been murdered. Blake...took vengeance on them." Winter stepped up beside her, shivering as she gazed upon the statues. "Rather creepy, those are."

"Those...are them," Pyrrha replied. "The murderers."

Winter looked down at the young woman. Pyrrha nodded. "I...Blake knows she goes overboard sometimes. But she tries to do good, and that's why I stay with her. I know she has some...issues. Please give her a chance."

Winter drained her glass. "Blake was...interesting," she said. "I considered staying with her. But...in the end, I decided not to."

"So, did you go to warn Salem about her rebellion?"

"...her what?"

Weiss and Yang shared a look. "Maybe she hadn't gotten that far into her thinking yet," Yang said. 

"If she had been trying this for a long time, I'm fairly certain she'd have more than twenty soldiers," Nora pointed out. 

"Miss Winter?" Ren asked. "Are you alright?"

Winter rubbed her forehead, closing her slacked mouth. "Maybe now...you should explain how things have been on your end, because _that's_ the story I want to hear."

"It's pretty long," Weiss said. 

"I'm not going anywhere," Winter said with a smile. 

Weiss inhaled, smiling at her sister, then began. 


	37. Belief

"I can't believe it," Winter said, shaking her head. "After all this time...you...you..." She grabbed Weiss, embracing her younger sister. "You're finally courting someone!"

"Oh, no," Weiss muttered. 

"Oh, boy," Yang said as Winter squeezed her sister and Yang. 

"And a dhampir _woman_ no less!" Winter cried. "Father's turning more circles in his grave than the sun around the Earth!" 

"Father has-- _had--_ a thing against lesbians," Weiss explained. 

"Look, Wintie, I think maybe you're--"

Winter grabbed Yang by the ear. "Never. Call me 'Wintie'. Again."

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! _I yield, I yiiiiiiield!"_ Yang rubbed her sore ear. "You've got a grip like the devil," she gasped. 

"So..." Nora rubbed her head awkwardly. "We've got to get leaving soon. Our...three day head start turned into...well, not three days."

"Sleep here tonight," Winter advised. "You'll need plenty of rest, and I have a carriage. With that, we can stay ahead of her, easy. Moreover, there's a last thing I have to address before you guys go to sleep." Winter turned and glared Yang down. "Xiao Long."

Yang shuddered. "Look, Weiss and I haven't even talked about this, you're really overreacting--"

"I'm talking about the fact that you drank human blood," Winter said flatly. 

"Oh." Yang shrugged. "Um...isn't it fine?"

Winter sighed, looking down. Then, she pulled off her right glove, rolling up her sleeve. Most of her right arm was coated in a gray shell, and her middle finger had a claw. "I was young and stupid," she said. "I stumbled into a black market contact. At the time, I was working as a duelist to earn money, offering a reward to anyone who could beat me. I was worried about what would happen if I lost, if I couldn't earn my money anymore. Earn my living."

"What happened?" Yang asked. 

"One glass. All it took. The power rush made me feel it was worth it...at first." She sighed. "The next day, I went through living hell. My every muscle, every fiber of my being, screamed in pain. It was a sin I had done, and one I was punished for." She flexed her fingers, the carapace clicking as the plates rubbed against each other. 

"Um..." Yang gulped, took a deep breath, then relaxed. "I knew there would be consequences when I did it," she said. "I figured that I'd rather live with Weiss and consequences, then live with neither of them."

Winter smiled, pulling her sister and Yang closer to her. 

It was that way which Yang and Weiss had fallen asleep. 

"I forgot how much humans sleep," Winter said quietly. 

"How old were you?" Nora asked, matching Winter's volume. "When you ran away?" 

"Twenty," Winter replied. "Weiss was fourteen then." Winter ran a hand through Weiss's hair, trailing along the scar, looking sad. "If I could have taken her with me, I'd have done so. Damn, do I regret that. I...I thought when I first saw her in town...maybe she wouldn't want to talk to me. Maybe she'd hate me. I'm...I'm glad she doesn't."

Nora smiled at that, then frowned, looking down at the ground. Ruby handed her a glass of blood, taking a sip of her own before returning to her own seat. "Say, Nora," Ruby began. "You're...from the capital, right?"

"Yup," Nora said. 

"So, is this...Roman guy...there?"

Nora glared at her. 

"For the record, I was awake the last time you two talked about this as well," Ren interjected. 

Ruby sipped her blood. "Oops."

Nora sighed, leaning back and sipping her own glass of lamb's blood. Then she gagged, choking. 

"I did warn you," Winter said. 

"Blech," Nora said, making a face. "And as for Roman, I am not ready to talk about that. We can discuss that bridge when we see it. For now, I will say that like Weiss..." She made another face. "I had daddy issues. And like Winter, there is someone I should have brought with me."

"That looks like it hurts," a voice said sympathetically. 

Nora stopped her quiet sobbing, drying her eyes and looking up through the bars of her cell. At nine years old, it was beginning to look like jail time was a regular thing in her life now. 

Roman Torchwick had no mercy, and less of a heart. Nora glared up at the other young girl. She wore a jacket that was two sizes two big for her, and carried an umbrella that was about her size. Her hair was uncombed, and a light shade of pink, and both of her eyes were different colors. A brown one and a pink one. 

The young girl sat down outside Nora's cell, politely looking the other way as she leaned against the bars. "I'm Neopolitan," she introduced. 

Nora glared at her, not saying anything. _Go away,_ she thought bitterly. 

"Roman calls me Neo, though," Neopolitan added, cocking her head sideways. "And you can, too. If...if you believe we can be friends." She slipped one of her small hands through the bars. Nora, without saying anything, reached out and took it. 


	38. Smoke and Ash

Weiss awoke, Yang's hand cold and sweating in her own. She sat up, looking across Winter towards her love. Yang wearily opened her eyes, covered in sweat. "Wake up," Winter commanded, moving out from beneath the two younger girls. "Smoke!" Ren was up before Ruby and Nora, and contrary to every day Weiss had known her, Ruby looked tired as she rubbed her eyes. She sniffed, then all traces of sleep disappeared. "And blood," she added. 

"Shit," Nora said. "I thought we'd have more time."

"We need to move," Winter declared. "I have a carriage. We can keep ahead of Blake."

"Yang?" Weiss said, worry growing. Yang whimpered, and Weiss paled. She'd never seen or heard Yang so helpless looking. Weiss looked up towards her sister, who had a look of shock on her face. 

"Consequences chose their time to come," she said simply. "Ruby, grab the supplies. Ren, help Weiss with Yang. Nora?" Winter pulled out her saber. "Let's hope you're as good as they said."

Nora hefted her mace, leading the way out of the house. Ruby followed, carrying all the supplies in one hand, and her scythe with the other. Ren and Weiss carried Yang by the shoulders, with Winter just ahead of them. Weiss looked to the side as Cardin slammed into the wall beside her, falling to the ground unconscious. Winter stepped forward, attacking Jaune and disarming him in a few blows, then stabbed him through the chest. With a kick, the vampire flung down. "Come on!" Winter said moving ahead. 

" _Wait..."_ Yang croaked.

Weiss and Ren paused, sharing a look. "We can't stop," Ren said. 

_"Wait..."_ Yang repeated. 

"I mean, we really can't stop," Winter added. "What's wrong?"

Weiss lowered Yang down, and the dhampir reached out towards Jaune. "He's...hurt," she coughed. 

"Uh..." Winter ran a hand through her hair. "Look, Yang--" 

Weiss pulled Jaune closer. "Come on. Can--can you heal him?"

Yang stretched out a hand, breathing heavy. _Hungry....._

_Need..._

Focus. The world stopped blurring, coming into focus. She set her teeth, accessing her magic. Moving through a _block,_ what felt like she was trying shove a wall over. Slowly, however, she managed to stop the bleeding. 

But barely. Then, she flopped backwards into Weiss's arms, passing out. 

"Come on! Hurry!" Winter said, kicking Jaune's sword well out of reach. "I suppose it's a good sign that she's _still_ trying to help people, but come on! Move, move, move!"

Ruby jumped, dropping the supplies into the carriage and then helping them bring Yang in. Ren and Weiss hopped in as Winter began setting up horses. "Beatrice! Bantha! _Hold it!"_

Nora hopped into the driver's position, grabbing the reigns. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Winter cried, attaching the saddles to the carriage. 

"This way's faster, and I know how to drive one of these," Nora said. 

Winter hopped up beside her, holding her saber and looking behind them. "You better treat my horses properly," she snapped. 

With a cry, Nora started the horses moving. The carriage started quickly, as Winter cried out swear words. Weiss ignored this until a blast of red lightning soared out the window with a crack of thunder. 

"That's Blake!" Winter cried. "Oh, she looks pissed!"

"We killed Knucklavee and convinced Pyrrha to turn on her," Ren replied. "I'd imagine she would be."

Thunder cracked twice more, but the carriage was not struck. "What happened?" Ren asked. 

"If I had to guess, that was the artifact Yang's mother mentioned," Winter said. "I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but I haven't seen anything like that before."

"To the village," Ren stated. 

Winter didn't answer for a long time. "I'm guessing, she took her anger out on the nearest people," Winter said. "The town of Menagerie's just down the road. We should arrive by tomorrow, and give the horses time to rest, because dammit, this woman can move fast for someone who sleeps more than half the day."

"All of those people," Weiss said, looking out the window to the burning village. "How many of them are going to live?"

"I can put names to most of them," Winter said, crawling back into the carriage. Apparently, she was satisfied with Nora's driving skills. "Some of them, I know well enough so I can say that they'll have made it out. Some...won't." She looked down at the bottom of the carriage. "I...I don't think I'll have anything to go back to."

"I...I'm sorry," Weiss said, leaning against her sister. She ran a hand through the unconscious Yang's hair. "I...I think I know what that feels like."

"So, Yang's going to be like this for a bit before getting better?" Ruby asked, concerned. "What...will she grow carapace, like you and Blake have?"

Winter frowned. "I'm sure your half-sister will be fine," she said. "And she'll probably be without any carapace like that. It wasn't much, not at all, really. I...I'm going to be honest, I don't remember much from that day. I'm surprised she's conscious enough to want to help that guy. I do know...that drinking too much human blood will damage your sanity. Your ability to rationalize who has wronged you. To tell innocence from guilt." She shuddered. "It sounds horrible."

"That's what happened to Blake, eh?" Nora said. "Oi. Sounds bout right."

"We better get settled in," Ren said. "It's going to be a long trip."


	39. Hunger...

It was supposed to be _hers._ All of it. They were _hers._ So why did they leave her? Betray her? Turn on her? After all she had done for them. All she had risked! All she had given! When she had been there for them! How dare they? Without friends. She was alone now. Nothing but herself, and her anger, stewing, frothing and bubbling, gazing upon a feast of mortal souls.

_No. That's...that's wrong._

Yang's eyes opened slowly. They were moving. Were they? No. They'd stopped. The world was still spinning, though...

"Yang?"

"I'm awake," she grumbled, sitting up slowly. Then she fell down, her head landing in Weiss's lap. "Not ready for sitting up, I think," she said. "Where are we?"

"Menagerie," Weiss replied, looking out the window. "It's...empty."

Angry voices were shouting outside. "What is going on?" Yang asked, sitting up properly, propping herself on Weiss's shoulders. 

"They can't agree on where to make camp," Weiss replied. "All of them have been bickering about it."

"Help me get around please," Yang said, slowly moving towards the carriage doors. Weiss half supported, half carried her as Yang exited the carriage. 

"Yang!" Ruby burst out with. The four of them stopped their argument, turning towards the dhampir and her friend. 

Yang raised an eyebrow. "So, there's a homicidal dhampir leading a revolution, and who desperately wants to kill us in a most likely excessively gruesome way, and the four of you are here, engaged in childish bickering?"

"Um, that's not what's going--"

"I don't care," Yang interrupted, glaring Nora down, her eyes flashing red. "What even are you arguing about?"

"Winter thinks we should make camp in the town barracks," Ruby said, "but Nora and I feel like the church would be a better bet."

"Then the church it is," Weiss declared. "Blake shouldn't do anything if we're in the church--I should have asked Tai, but he mentioned someone one time. When I first met him, he said...he knew someone that was a remorseless killer, but fanatically religious. I'd bet our journey here on that person being Blake."

Finding the church was easy, especially as Nora had subtly stopped right in front of it. Ruby pushed the door open, then dusted off the text on it. "Of course it had to be written in Runic," she muttered. "Seriously, the one piece of school I couldn't do right."

"It says, 'House Belladonna'," Yang told her. No one said anything as Yang continued reading, "'Walk the narrow path of the LORD in everything you do'."

"This explains a few things," Ruby muttered, stepping inside. 

The design of the building was odd. There was a main church room, with pews leading up to an altar, split down the middle with a sword sticking straight out of it. Several broken candle holders lay on the ground, and only a couple of pews were actually in one piece. Ruby pulled off her shoes before walking up to the altar and giving the sword a tug. "Someone really-- _urf--_ jammed this in hard." She peaked around the wall behind the altar, nodding. "Normal prep room for church service. I think."

"You think?" Winter said, raising an eyebrow. 

"I've never been to a church before," Ruby admitted. "Though Mom did tell me to walk barefoot on hallowed ground...or something like that."

"Here's the house part," Ren said, going down a side door. The rest followed, into what looked like a parish hall. Most of the chairs and tables were broken, though one in particular was missing a leg, but standing properly. 

Yang sat down in the closest working condition chair, leaning back and breathing heavy. "I'm okay," she said, waving Weiss off. "Just tired."

Weiss remained unconvinced, but stopped to examine a nearby portrait. Or, what was left. Something had left massive claw marks on it, taking off the faces of the three people in it. 

"Same with the other portraits," Nora called from a back room. "I guess Blake had a few too many bad memories."

Ren and Winter split off as well, each going off to explore the place. Ruby stayed behind, coming over to Yang. "Do you need anything?" she asked. 

"Guys, I'm fine." Her stomach chose that moment to rumble hungrily, causing her to blush lightly. "Yuuuuup. Completely fine."

Ruby set down the bags of supplies on the table still standing, pulling out some dried meat and bringing it to Yang. "Here you go!" she said. "We already ate, so don't worry!"

"Thanks," Yang said, eating the jerky. She grimaced. "Is it supposed to taste like this?"

"Salty and dusty?" Weiss shrugged. "Probably."

 _You deserve better,_ a voice whispered to Yang. _Take it!_

She shook her head, blinking. "You alright?" Weiss asked. 

"Just...not fully in the game yet," Yang said, shaking her head again. 

"You guys might want to come see this," Winter's voice called out. 

Yang stood up, and stretched, her arms making multiple popping noises. "Come on. Let's go see this." 

She walked through the church, following the sound of Winter's voice and out a back door. Into a cemetery. Winter, Ren, and Nora had stopped in front of a statue of a man and a woman, with arms around each other's shoulders. Text was written on the base of the statue, but had been clawed to the point where it was indecipherable. Winter pulled the shovel out of the ground, sighing. "I guess she has her reasons for feeling like she does," she said. "These people...look kind of like her. Were they her parents?"

"The woman has fangs, but not the man," Weiss added. "She is a dhampir, so that is what I'd assume."

Nora pointed behind the statue. "That's what I'm more interested in."

More statues, but these ones were of soldiers in various combat poses, all facing a central point. Something...felt off, though. Frowning, Yang stepped forward, laying a hand on one of the statues. Then she snapped it back, stumbling away. 

"They're...still alive," she whispered. "How did she even do this?"

"In a way, it kind of makes sense," Nora said. "Our supplies consist of deer meat that was dried. If you control blood, you could possibly find a way to do that to people."

"Blake...really needs someone to help her," Yang said quietly. 

_No! She needs justice! Avenge yourself!_

"Seeing what she's become...I don't feel angry," Yang said. "I just feel sad."

"I suppose that is the right mindset to be in," a new voice said. They all turned, weapons drawn as they stared down the man in black that strode into the cemetery. He had tall black boots that somehow made no sound upon the ground, with a black shirt and coat that almost trailed the ground behind him. He carried a sword at his side, with rose designs on the handle. He had black and scarlet hair, and wore a white mask over his eyes. He looked old, and walked slowly towards the statue. The group of six parted, and he laid down a bunch of roses on the grave. 

"Who are you?" Yang asked. 

"How can we trust you?" Weiss asked. 

"My name's Adam," he said, then to Weiss, he added, "I figure you can vouch for me. After all, Blake gave us matching scars." He removed the mask, revealing the massive scar lines going across his face, blinding one eye. 

Weiss reached up and touched her own scar as Adam returned the mask to his face. "Come in. I've been out of touch with the world for a while."


	40. Hatred

Adam sheathed his sword, finished with his second round of practice routines. He had not stopped moving, even while listening to their story. He had said nothing, but occasionally nodded at them to continue. He drew his sword again, examining the blade for a long time. When he finally spoke, he sounded tired. "Blake could never let go of her anger, even over little things," he said. "She would often tirade for a week after every little thing that made her furious, when she was young." 

"What happened?" Nora asked. "To the town?"

"Extremists. Believing themselves right in purging this town of vampires. Well, you saw one of the groups of them. There's groups of them all over the town, and...not all of them are the invaders." He sighed, sheathing his sword again. "They killed her parents. Kali and Ghira. Those two were good people."

"Blake..." Yang shook her head. "Damn."

"That being said, she has no excuse for what she's doing now, nor what she did during the war," Adam stated. "She has always been toeing the line, even crossing it, when she shouldn't. But perhaps, now you can understand her."

"She must blame Salem," Weiss guessed. "For letting her parents die."

"Perhaps. She tried to get me to help her, with her plans. I shut her down, wouldn't even hear of it." He chuckled. "She got me for that one, but I had assumed she wouldn't be able to carry out her plan. If what you say is true, then...there is no garrison at the capital. Blake could easily march right up to it, and with this new Salem not being as... _skilled..._ as her predecessor, Blake could take her out with this...artifact." Adam sat down, resting his chin in one hand, scratching his face. 

"We kinda knew that part already," Yang stated. "Like, the stakes? We knew them."

"Forgive me. I feel the need to repeat things to myself to properly understand them." Adam grimaced as he looked over the assembled. "I am a little old to travel there, but I will try to stall out Blake once she arrives. Maybe I can give you time to get there."

"Speaking of which, we ought to leave now," Yang said. "The horses should be rested up now, right?"

"It's a short stretch to the capital," Weiss said. "We can easily make it. Adam, come with us. You don't need to die for this."

Adam shook his head sadly. "I taught her how to fight. I made her practice until she could take ten men at a time. I was the one who failed to teach her how to control her anger. Do you know what the goal of any teacher is?"

None answered him, so he continued. "My goal was to make anyone I trained a better vampire than me. Blake was my only student, and my greatest failure. I will give her one last chance, try to talk her down. I have hope, but no faith in this idea. I know it won't work. But I will give it a shot." He laughed. "Besides, what else am I gonna do? Laugh it out a couple more years before dying? No, no. I am ready." He stood, sniffing the air. Winter, Nora, and Ruby followed suit. 

"And I hope your horses are also ready," he added. "She comes."

The carriage rode out of Menagerie, no one speaking as they went. Winter drove, while Nora sat with Ren. Ruby and Weiss sat on opposite sides of Yang. "Yang?" Weiss finally said. "You...okay?"

"Yeah. For a time...I was worried." Yang looked at the bouncing floor. "Worried I would lose myself. Like Blake did. But...I'm good now."

"You're never going to be like Blake, silly," Ruby said, elbowing her sister with a smile. "Blake's problems started before she drank human blood. She never got her help, and things only got worse. But you--you've been kind and caring every day of your life, Yang."

"If there's one person on the planet who's never turning out like Blake, it's you, Yang," Weiss said, leaning on Yang's shoulder. 

Yang tightened her grip on her sister and her love, smiling. "Yeah," she said. "I suppose that's right, isn't it?"

Blake stopped, so Jaune did as well. _How did I ever think this madwoman was a hero?_ he thought to himself. He didn't know what to do. He really couldn't stop now. Blake had entered a frenzied rage during the past few days, and had taken her anger out on people she didn't even know. What would she do if he told her he didn't want to work with her anymore? She'd kill him! Or worse!

Maybe he could escape with the help of some of the other's. But who to trust? Who still thought Blake was a savior? Who thought her mad? 

The worst part was, part of him agreed with her. Even if he knew that it was some trick--he'd been told by everyone that vampires could turn you into one of them, and force you to kill your family. This was just...some sort of mind control!

But if he was being controlled...how was he thinking, _No?_

"It's time to stop, Blake," a male voice called out. Jaune focused on the bridge ahead, watching the man in black stare down the dhampir. 

"No," Blake said. "No, Adam. I am not going to stop."

"You need to forgive and forget," Adam told her. "Let go of the past."

"Is that what you did to them?" Blake demanded. "To my parents? Forget them? Let them go to their deaths?"

"You're twisting my words. That is not what I said."

"You--you turned your back on me when I needed you," Blake said. "What kind of teacher does that?"

"I was a horrible teacher," Adam admitted. "But for entirely different reasons than you seem to think."

Blake drew her weapon, the ribbon of blood forming from flasks she carried with her. 

Adam drew his own sword, pointing it at Blake. Then, the two rushed towards each other, blades meeting. 

"The town was burned to the ground," Leo told his friend and employer. "I was already on my way out, otherwise I'd have never gotten to safety."

"Sounds rough," came the reply. He pulled out one of the most recent inventions on Arthur's part, the cigar. The infernal tube was designed to be burned, and to have the user inhale the smoke for pleasure. Leo couldn't understand the reasoning behind it, but evidently, his boss liked it. 

His boss would also like what he was going to say next. 

"Though, I did meet some nice people who most likely managed to get out," he added. "A small group, five people. Young nobleman, Lie Ren. Heiress turned vampire(though she looked human to me), Weiss Schnee. The daughter of the War Rose. I didn't recognize the fourth, but I feel like she was important in her own right."

"And the fifth person that you're building up to?" he asked, waving his cigar, smoke briefly obscuring his face. 

Leo leaned forward. "Nora Valkyrie."

There was a silence. "You know," Roman Torchwick said, leaning forward, taking the cigar out of his mouth, "that there...earned its buildup."


	41. What Friends You'll Find in the Dark

"You'll want to see this," Nora said, looking up through the carriage's front window. "This is a sight you'll never get used to."

"What?" Yang asked, standing beside her. The massive wall around the capital loomed in front of them, but it was what was inside that drew Yang's attention. It was a tower, similar to House Rose, but with multiple spires sticking out the side of it in a dizzying display of architecture. 

"Um...that thing is huge," Ruby said. "Bigger than home, even at this distance."

"That is Salem's palace," Nora said with a grin. "Never been in there, truth be told, but that's where she lives."

"Why does it need to be that big?" Ren asked slowly. 

"From what I've heard, that's where the Grimm stay," Winter explained. "But I'm not sure. I wouldn't think that it would be _that_ huge..." She trailed off, eyes focusing on the gate to the city, and the guards in front of it. 

"Gates are open, they won't bother ya," Nora said, waving away Winter's unvoiced concern. "But inside...I don't know...how we're...going to get an audience with Salem. From what I know, she's never been out of her castle."

"Well, I'm sure the guards wouldn't ignore the daughter of Summer Rose," Weiss pointed out. "Having a war hero's daughter is going to make this easier."

"Maybe the dhampir should not be with us when we schedule the meeting," Winter said slowly, relaxing as they passed through the gates undisturbed. "I mean, I doubt they'd do anything. But it wouldn't hurt."

Yang grimaced. "A'right, fine. Where do we schedule this thing, anyway?"

"There's a building around here somewhere," Nora said. "Gimmee a sec to remember where..."

"The Office of Civilian Communications," Weiss read off the sign. 

"This won't take all of us," Nora said. "Winter, Ren? You stay with Yang and the carriage. The three of us will head in."

Weiss opened the door slowly, looking around as she entered. One or two guards sat at a few tables, playing cards, while mostly the building was empty. Several cubicles had people working with large amounts of paperwork. 

"Hmm..." Nora tapped her foot a minute before slamming her fist into her palm, having apparently remembered what to do. She moved over to a waiting desk, patiently waiting for the woman behind it to be done with her paper before saying, "We're here to schedule a meeting."

"Alright, then. With whom?"

"Queen Salem."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "You realize she doesn't just chit-chat with just anyone, right?"

"This is a matter of utmost importance that she needs to hear about."

"And," Weiss interrupted, shoving Nora aside and pulling Ruby up front. "This is Ruby Rose, daughter of Summer Rose." She stopped when the entire building went silent. 

The woman behind the desk stared, her jaw dropping as she examined Crescent Rose. "Excuse me real quick," she said before rushing into a back room. After a minute, she came back, being followed by a younger woman in military uniform. While she was definitely a vampire, her skin was a darker shade of brown, with green hair and red eyes. The new woman took the other's place behind the desk, narrowing her eyes as she examined Ruby closely. "She...has a daughter now?" the woman asked. 

"Yup. Um...I'm her." She scratched her head. "So, um. We kinda needed to talk to the Queen about this, uh, big, important thing."

"I'll make sure she hears you asked," another voice said. A taller, older man with a manic smile and dark brown hair stepped in close, leaning down and looking Ruby in the eyes. 

The woman behind the desk scoffed. "Tyrian, you know how busy she is. She doesn't really have time to talk with old friends' daughters."

"And do you think the War Rose would send her daughter this far to borrow a cup of sugar?" Tyrian said with a glare. "Emerald, be _reasonable._ " He began pushing the three out towards the door. "I recommend you find yourselves a place to stay. After all, things like these tend to take time. Come back in three days, and tell me or Emerald where you're staying, so we can send someone to get you."

"Thanks for the assist," Nora said as she exited the building. "I honestly don't think she would have even mentioned it to the queen." 

Tyrian grinned. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But no need to thank me--it was an act of friendship!"

"Friendship?" Nora asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Tyrian shrugged, throwing up his hands. "You never know what friends you find in the dark." And just as soon as the words left his mouth, he was gone, into the building. Nora stared after him, eyes wide, and for the first time since Ruby had known her, she saw fear in Nora's face. Nora rushed back into the carriage, dragging Ruby and Weiss behind her. 

"Hey, what's going on?" Ruby asked. 

"Move!" Nora told Winter. She looked out the door, hand on her weapon. "Go on! _Move!"_

Winter looked at the horses, then dropped the reigns, turning around and raising an eyebrow at Nora. Nora frantically looked at all her friends, face falling as she saw their faces. 

"Nora," Ren said. "I respect that you don't want to talk about this. But the time has officially come where you have to."

"This carriage isn't moving until you start talking," Winter stated. "Who is Roman Torchwick?"

"And what about that expression set you off?" Weiss asked. "I mean, it's not exactly an uncommon expression." Nora leaned back, hand still on her mace. "I...I..."

She sighed, flopping down in defeat. "My parents died when I was very little. I don't even remember them, or how I survived. My earliest memories start with me getting picked up and taken in by Roman Torchwick. A vampire with ambition, if there ever was one." She winced as the carriage started moving, then, after a moment, continued. "Roman may not be as combat savvy as Summer or as powerful as Blake, or with the thousand years of setup Salem has for her kingdom. But his mind is a fierce fire that can never be snuffed out or dimmed. He started the first, most powerful, and if you dig deep enough, the _only_ organized crime across both borders. If you find any gang of thugs and lowlifes, nine times out of ten, they're getting they're pay from Roman and they don't even know it. The organization is called...the Darkened Sigil." She dropped her voice, speaking in hushed tones, as if the very shadows would turn her in. "He made--and probably still does--a habit of finding young kids away from home and taking them in, cause how else do you instill that level of loyalty in your soldiers?" 

She sighed. "I ran away when I was ten. Seven years was more than enough for me."

"What was it like?" Ruby asked. 

"No special treatment for kids," Nora said quietly. "He treated us the same as the adults. Same rewards. Same punishments. Same jobs." She shuddered. "Most of the time, it was just stealing stuff. Files, jewels, evidence. Occasionally, though, someone would ask one too many questions. And...he'd send one of us. At age seven, I became his go-to assassin."

"That young?" Weiss asked, jaw dropping. 

Nora nodded. "That Tyrian guy...if Roman didn't already know I was in the city, he does now. That's the Sigil's code phrase."

"But it's a common expression!" Weiss said. 

"I've never heard it," Yang admitted. 

"Me neither," Ruby said. "Mom never once said it."

Nora nodded. "Cause she never heard it. That Master Vampire hasn't taken her head out from under her rock in...in..." She frowned. "Damn, I don't think she has since before the war."

"So, what do we do?" Ren asked. "About Roman?"

"There's nothing to do but wait," Nora said. "He's gonna take the first move, no matter what I do."

"So, you're not angry?"

"Angry? I got over my fury a while ago," Roman said, waving Leo off. "Especially as I never lost track of where she was. Through town, through young mister Ren's heart. I was concerned when she got turned into a vampire, but it appears she has shaken off the slimmer of control Blake thought she had over her." 

"She has even less control over young Valkyrie than you do," Leo laughed. He cut it short when he saw Roman's face. 

"As true as that is, I happen to resent that," Roman said, pointing his cigar at Leo. "But no, I am not angry...at the present."

When Leo didn't say anything, Roman asked, "You remember that story in the bible? About the farmer and his prodigal son?"

"Yes."

"So, when the son returned, was the father furious, or did he welcome his child back?" Roman asked, waving the cigar. "While I'm not exactly in the cattle-slaughtering mood, I will welcome Nora back."

"What if she doesn't want to come back?" Leo asked. 

Roman smiled slightly. "Something tells me...that no matter what happens, that...that won't be a problem."


	42. Burning in the Light

Nora sighed, sitting down on the bed. The bedroom was pretty large, with two beds for the six of them. It had certainly been expensive, enough so that Nora had barely had enough in the bag to pay for it. 

And stealing another one was not appealing to her at the moment. 

"You guys go ahead and get some rest," Nora said, rising. "I'm taking a walk."

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Winter asked. "What if Blake's in the city already?"

"Blake's not the one I'm worried about," Nora replied flatly. "I know how to deal with her. If...I'm not back by the meeting time, go ahead without me."

"Nora, wait!" Ren called out. 

"You are not coming with me," Nora said, hand on the door knob. 

"At least let me accompany you to the door," Ren said. 

Nora sighed, walking out. Ren followed, sticking close to her. "You've always been there for me, so if I can in any way be here for you..."

"I'd appreciate if you were well out of Roman's eyesight for this meeting," Nora replied, grabbing Ren's hand. She kissed him on the cheek as she stepped out onto the streets. "I don't plan on dying tonight," she said. "But in case I do, you know how I feel."

"Always have," Ren said. "From the day we found you, on the side of the road with a sword in your side and five dead bandits around you."

Nora scoffed. "I was hungry. Made me mess up."

"You were _ten._ "

"No excuse," Nora chuckled with a grin. 

Ren pulled her into a hug. "I thought he was making first move," he said. 

"He did," Nora said, pointing down a side street. "His invitation walked down that way." When Ren looked confused, she explained. "I saw her when we entered the building. I know where she's going, and I know who she is."

"Who is she?" Ren asked. 

"My friend," Nora said quietly, moving away. "Later, Lie Ren."

"You'd better come back, Nora," Ren said. "If you don't, I'm going to be pissed."

"Watch the language," Nora chuckled under her breath. She steeled herself, watching after the umbrella moving through the street ahead. She smiled as she passed the stalls, remembering her time as a child.

As short as it had been. 

"Noooooora!" Neo said, putting on a pouty face. "These are peaches!"

"You're lucky I managed to snag them without being seen," Nora muttered, looking around to make sure no one heard. 

"I don't like peaches," Neo pouted. 

Nora sighed. "I did as best as I could," she muttered. 

"I know," Neo said, biting into it and shuddering. 

"Didn't you just say--" 

"Best not to let your work go to waste," Neo said with a happy smile. 

"Never let work go to waste," Roman said. 

The two kids looked up as the vampire looked down upon them. "Come on now," Roman said. "We are going to talk."

Fruit were fruit. Nora liked fruit. Neo liked some fruit. Nora picked up a core of a peach, long forgotten on the side of the road as she took the next turn. The umbrella was always ahead of her, stopping after turning a corner. Nora threw the core behind her, turning and looking through the window of a jewelry shop. 

"What was it I told you?" Roman said carefully, cane tapping against the ground as he paced in front of the two girls. They sat on the couch, in front of Roman's fireplace. 

"Lay low...don't get in trouble," Neo muttered. 

"And does stealing fruit count as laying low?" Roman said, tossing the peach into the air and catching it. 

"No..."

"So you disobeyed me. Again."

"It was my idea!" Neo said. Roman struck her, the cane leaving a bruise on her cheek. 

"I don't give a damn whose idea it was! You both went along with it!" He inhaled, then steadied himself. "If you both would have benefited, so now, you will both be punished. As if you still haven't' learned your lesson."

It was a lot longer to Roman's manor than Nora had thought. She paused, watching her childhood friend wait at the end of the street. Nora reached out, touching the window of a weapon's shop. Swords hung on display. Maces. And a warhammer. 

"Do you have parents?" Li Ren asked. 

Nora didn't answer. 

"Can you talk?" he asked instead. 

"Yes," Nora croaked hoarsely. She coughed, rubbing her side. _Damn,_ swords hurt worse than she remembered. 

"Is there anywhere we can take you?" Ren asked. 

"Not really," Nora said. 

Li Ren backed away, rubbing his forehead. "Father, can't we take her in?" his son asked. 

"I'm not sure," Li said, frowning at Nora. "She killed five people, refuses to say why, refuses to say anything about...anything. She's dangerous."

"Does that mean we shouldn't help her?"

Li sighed. "No. Not at all."

Neopolitan had vanished into the building ahead. Nora strode forward, marching to the door. 

"You never know what friends you'll find in the dark," one of the two guards said. 

"Nor what light they may bring," Nora answered smoothly. 

Corsac and Fennec smiled at each other. "Welcome home, sister," they said in unison, opening the door. 


	43. The Prodigal Daughter

The drawing room was large, with five chairs seated around a central table. No fewer than six door sled off into side rooms. Neo was nowhere to be seen. 

"You'll have to wait just a minute," Fennec said, taking a seat next his brother. "Mister Torchwick is dealing with a particularly... _lacking..._ guest at the moment." 

A cracking sound, almost like a miniature lightning bolt, sounded through the house. Nora looked up in alarm, but Corsac said simply, "He used the gun? He must be in a good mood. I thought he was going to draw out his death."

"'Gun'?" Nora asked, testing how the word sounded. 

"A little invention from Roman's scientist friend," Fennec explained. 

"You remember Arthur, right?" Corsac asked. 

"Who?"

The twins shared a look. "Arthur Watts?" Corsac asked. 

"The person whom Salem declined the work of?" Fennec added. 

"Never heard of him."

"You met him," Corsac stated. 

"And how old was I at the time?" Nora said with a shrug. 

Fennec sighed. "You're right about that."

A servant stepped out of one of the side rooms, looking in. "Um...Miss Nora...he's waiting for you in the secondary waiting room. And, um, Mister Albain...where's the mop...?"

"Right there, in the closet," Corsac said, pointing. "Behind the broom."

"She's new," Fennec told Nora. "We all like her, and we all know she'll get better at this."

The servant let out a nervous chuckle, pulling out the mop. "Yeah, I guess...I just expected...fewer bodies." She smiled grimly, moving back into the side room with the mop. 

Corsac shook his head. "I don't think she'll stay for long," he said. 

Nora rose, moving. "The secondary waiting room...is it still where I remember it?"

"Of course. Roman hates change," Fennec replied. 

Nora took a deep breath, then entered the room. 

It was exactly like she remembered it. Hearth in the corner, umbrella stand by the door. Table in the center, with a chair on both sides. Roman chewed on a cigar, blowing out a puff of smoke as Nora took her seat. 

"You're...not as tall as I expected," he said. 

"It's been ten long years," Nora said. "I thought you'd be...grayer." 

Roman took the cigar out of his mouth, pointing it at her. "So, my prodigal daughter...you've returned."

"I'm not staying."

Roman chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure you really want to return to--what's his name? Loi? Lei? Lie?"

Nora stiffened as Roman continued. "And you're whole quest to save the world and all...I'm sure you're anxious to get back to that and all. But I'm certain you could be much happier here. With us."

"I thank you for what you did right," Nora told him, "but I left because of what you did wrong."

Now Roman stiffened. He snuffed out the cigar in an ashtray, letting it go. He pulled out an odd, boomerang-shaped item, with a small lever attached to the side and a cartridge connected to its underside. Roman was never idle in conversations--always moving, always doing something. Now, he began to polish this item. _Is that the thing Corsac mentioned?_ she wondered. 

"And what, pray tell, did I do wrong?" Roman asked stiffly. 

"Uh...where do I begin?" Nora stated. "You had me stealing and assassinating people when I was _seven._ I was regularly thrown in jail cells."

"You didn't appear to understand consequences," Roman said firmly. "I wanted to show you what would happen if you failed."

"So you you threw a five year old in a jail cell without food and water?" Nora snapped. 

"Life isn't fair," Roman stated simply. He pointed the odd weapon at a dart board, in perhaps the worst throwing position Nora had ever seen. _Is it not a throwing weapon?_

"I was a _child._ "

"I put up with worse when I was a kid," Roman told her with a snarl. His upper lip lifted, revealing a broken fang and scarring on the inside of his mouth. "You had food, water, shelter. _A decent paycheck._ Same as any child, any adult, anyone, you were punished when you were disobedient."

"'I suffered more' isn't an excuse," Nora said. "Blake may have suffered a whole lot, but that doesn't mean what she's doing is right."

"Yes, well, I'm not a psychopath." Roman set the weapon aside, taking off his hat and dusting it off. "I'm not doing this because I think I'll get some petty vengeance, or even because it's the right thing to do. I'm doing it to _survive,_ and so I might make other people _survive._ In an unfair world, you don't survive alone, Nora."

"You fit the exact definition of psychopath," Nora replied smoothly, leaning back and folding her arms over her chest. 

Roman scoffed. "I don't trust labels."

Nora raised an eyebrow, considering pointing out that he just used that label to describe someone else. 

"I'm not staying," she instead said. "Leave me alone. _Please._ " Saying please never hurt, she decided. 

Roman sighed, leaning backwards and closing his eyes. "Hmm...you know, fair is fair. I shouldn't make any decisions on this. There was someone whom you hurt a lot more than I when you left."

Nora stiffened as one of the back doors opened. Without looking, she knew who it was. 

Roman stood up, his cane tapping on the ground as he strode to the exit. "Don't convince me to let you go free. Convince _her."_

Nora stood, turning around, heart hammering as she saw Neopolitan standing in front of her. 

_Oh no._


	44. The Friendship Lost to Time

"Long time, no see, eh?" Neo said, strutting around the edges of the room, refusing to look Nora in the eye. Roman had left, truly leaving the two alone to work out their problems. 

"It _has_ been a while," Nora agreed.

Neo had always been the more talkative of them. She stopped and glared Nora down. "Is that all you have to say? You left us! You left me! With _him!_ "

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, _now_ you're sorry!"

"I always was!" Nora interrupted, gritting her teeth, unable to meet Neo's eyes. "I was never able to forgive myself for leaving you behind, Neo."

"Oh, really?" Neo said bitterly. "Cuz from what I heard, you were pretty chatty with that Lie Ren, weren't you? Always by his side."

"I had a second chance in life," she said quietly. "I wanted to do better than I had with you. I found my voice, Neo. I'm sorry it wasn't with you."

"I don't believe that," Neo said. "Why didn't you ever come back? Why..." She cut off, wiping tears from her eyes. "Why didn't you take me with you?" Her voice cracked, pain sounding through her words. "You left me alone with Roman, all those years..."

Nora turned to Neo, not even bothering to wipe the tears from her own eyes. "All my skills, all my battles, hard-won...I never had the strength to help my best friend."

The two embraced, wrapping their arms tightly around each other. 

And outside, Roman Torchwick nodded his head slowly. He strode through the drawing room, telling Corsac and Fennec, "Once they leave, hand them five hundred gold pieces, and wish them luck on their journey."

" _Both_ of them?" Fennec asked, surprised. 

"It will be done," Corsac said, nodding. 

Roman watched the two of them walk away, with mixed feelings, from his office window. 

"Neo is going now, too?" Leonardo asked. "How did that even happen? I thought Nora was going to stay."

"I never said that," Roman answered. 

"You said it wasn't going to be a problem," Leo countered. 

Roman gave him a look. "It wasn't."

Leo started to say something as Roman looked back out the window, then stopped. His face fell, and he thought hard about what Roman said. Then he nodded slowly. "I see."

"No matter how sad he was to see him go," Roman said, "he still let the son leave."

"...and that's about everything I've been doing the past few days," Nora finished as the two of them neared the inn. 

"Damn," Neo said, shaking her head. "I'd heard about Blake, but... _damn._ " She grabbed Nora and tilted the taller woman's head back. With an eye-roll, Nora obligingly displayed her throat scarring. Neo let go, shaking her head again. "But okay. Ruby and Yang, those one's will be obvious. Ren is the only guy. Winter is taller than Ice."

"Weiss."

"Got it."

Nora opened the door, peering into the inn. "I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to them," she muttered, shaking her head. 

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Neo said, elbowing her in the ribs. Nora climbed the steps, choosing to remain silent as she knocked on the door to their room. "Someone might have to sleep on the floor," Nora said. "Not enough beds."

"We've both slept on worse," Neo laughed. 

The door opened, and Ruby peaked out. "Nora! You're back! And who is this?" Without waiting for an answer, she stretched out her hand and introduced herself. "Ruby Rose."

"Neopolitan," Neo said, shaking Ruby's hand hesitantly. 

"See?" Nora said, walking into the room. "I told you everything would be okay."

"Weren't you the one who was worried?" Neo asked. 

"Guys, this is Neo," Nora said loudly. "She's my childhood friend, and she's traveling with us now."

There was an awkward silence. "Pleased to meet you," Ren said, standing and stretching out a hand. "Lie Ren."

"Neopolitan," Neo said, giving him a toothy smile. 

Ren reached to Nora, and smacked her upside the head. " _That_ is for making me stay up three hours waiting on you," he snapped. 

Neo grinned as Nora rubbed her head, glaring Ren down. "I like him," Neo said. 


	45. Courtshipping

It was still a day until they could go talk to Salem. They had no knowledge of where Blake was, or what she was doing, but none of them could figure out what to do about it. 

But Yang knew how to pass the time. An amazingly brilliant idea.

But first, she needed to get out of bed. With a sigh, she sat up, shaking her uncombed mop of hair around. Weiss reached over and 'subtly' put a hairbrush on top of her head. Yang chuckled, picking it up and running it through her hair. "It's been...what? Almost a week now since we left?"

"Six days," Weiss specified. 

Yang grinned. 

"What are you planning?" Weiss asked, eyes narrowing. 

"I'm thinking, maybe we should go out for lunch today," Yang said. 

"A group lunch?" Weiss asked suspiciously. 

"Just the two of us."

Weiss sighed. "I knew there'd be a catch."

Yang had only one reply to that. 

"Ouch."

"I'll pay," Yang said, fishing out the coins. 

"Nora payed. It's her money," Weiss pointed out, sliding her empty plate towards the waiter. Yang slid her own plate, the coins to pay for the meal, and a tip for the waiter across the table. She leaned forward, thinking how to respond to that. 

"So..." Weiss chewed her lip, thinking. "Are we going to continue with this?"

"I don't see a reason not too," Yang said with a grin. 

"I mean," Weiss said, "if it doesn't work out..."

"Then it doesn't work out and we'll just have to settle on being friends," Yang said, shrugging. "Unless you kill me, which would suck."

"Pfft." Weiss snorted with a laugh, then said, "It would suck considerably less for me."

Ignoring the roast, Yang said, "Well, of course. You wouldn't be the one dead."

Both of them shared a laugh at that. _What now?_ Yang thought. _Flirt some more? Offer to walk her home?_

_...actually, that one isn't such a good idea._

"You're beautiful when you laugh," Yang told Weiss, deciding on the first option. 

"So I'm ugly when I'm not laughing?" Weiss said, shooting a hateful glare Yang's way. 

_FUCK!_ "No, that's not what I--" She stopped as Weiss slowly smirked, then burst out laughing, collapsing on the table as she lost herself to endless laughter. "I guess I deserve that," Yang said. "You're...you're still going, aren't you?"

_Wow. What a woman._

"Xiao Long, have you never heard a joke before?" Weiss asked, finally controlling herself, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. 

"Not from you," Yang replied. "You don't joke much."

Weiss reached over and picked a flower from the pot at the side of the table. "I am an amazing joker," she told Yang, waving the flower at the dhampir. Yang sneezed. Weiss blinked a few times, confused. 

"It's a poppy," Yang said, lightly pushing it away from her face. "I'm allergic, remember?"

"Right," Weiss said, returning the flower to its pot. _Should I not have mentioned that?_ Yang thought, seeing Weiss was uncomfortable. _Well, I couldn't stop the sneeze and I had to explain it..._

"So..." _What do I say? WHAT?_

"Can you make your eyes change color on demand?" Weiss suddenly asked. 

"...never tried."

"Ah."

"What, you like the red better?" Yang asked. 

"Actually, you and your eyes are beautiful the way they are." Weiss smiled at her. 

_Damn, she always has something to say,_ Yang said as she blushed at the compliment. _How do I reply? What do I do?_

_I just wish Summer had been into romances._

Weiss leaned back, looking up at the sky. "Clouds. Looks like it's going to rain soon."

"We should head back, then," Yang agreed. She thought back to what her mother had said. She felt in her gut that it was going to rain soon. _Dhampirs are more grounded than vampires._ Wasn't that what Raven had said? Something along those lines. 

They hadn't gotten back yet before it started raining...and raining...and pouring. 

"We need to move quickly," Weiss said. Yang grabbed her hair, holding it over Weiss. Weiss looked up at her as Yang lead the way. "We probably could have done to get an umbrella," she said. 

"I...think this works," Weiss agreed, standing closer to Yang. 

_Now I see._

"Of course it does," Yang testified. "Many a rainstorm, water's never gotten through my hair."

_It wasn't about what I said._

_She wants to be with me, and I with her. That's all that matters._


	46. Journey's End

"This place is...bigger up close," Yang commented. "I can't see the sky..."

"You totally can," Neo said, elbowing the blonde in the ribs hard. "Come on! All this time, we can't give up now!"

"Neo, you only joined us the past two days," Nora said with a raised eyebrow. 

"Do I hear a quitter?" Neo said, leaning in close. Rolling her eyes, Weiss pushed open the doors. 

Tyrian waited on the opposite side, smiling in his crazed fashion. "You're journey is over," he said. "Come! The Queen waits..." He bowed, showing the path forward with his hands. 

They passed many, many rooms, dozens of servants on their way up the castle. Tyrian eventually pushed open a pair of double doors into a long, tall room lined with huge stained glass windows. A single table covered most of the space, lined with chairs. Bannisters hung from the walls, black and gold. At the end of the table was a huge black chair, with white spikes sticking out the back and sides. On the right was Emerald, seated down and glaring at them. To the left was an unfamiliar vampire in gray. 

Seated in the chair was Salem. She was clearly young, with black hair let down loose. Her skin was a pale white, and she rested her chin in one hand with a bored, vacant expression. 

Knowing she wasn't any older than thirty, Weiss got the impression that she was an excellent faker. 

"You may leave now, Tyrian," she said in a loud, commanding voice. Tyrian bowed, walking backwards out of the room. Weiss could have sworn she saw his ponytail twitch as he left. 

The doors closed behind them, and Salem waved towards the empty chairs close to her. "Sit, sit," she beckoned. Evidently, she didn't care much for decorum, at least not at the current moment. 

"You're real name...is Cinder, right?" Weiss asked. 

Cinder's eyes flicked over to Weiss, and she said, "So, she told you that? The _one thing_ I asked her not to tell anyone?"

There was an awkward silence. "It's not you I'm mad at, please understand," Cinder said, straightening in her chair and clasping her hands over the table. "I am thankful that you came all this way to warn me of Blake."

"You know already?" Yang burst out.

"Don't. Interrupt me," Cinder commanded. She reached down and took off a bracelet, and her form flickered. Her clothing didn't change, but her skin tone lightened, her hair shrank, and one eye disappeared behind a large burn scar. The other changed from deep red to a light orange. "Blake sent a heads up, giving us seventy two hours to surrender. The wait on your part was me trying to figure out if I could trust you. And I decided to do that. So please, tell me. What did you learn? What happened on this journey?"

None of them was able to tell all of the story. Each one told their parts, and occasionally Cinder would interrupt to ask a question, for more details, or something like that. Once or twice, Emerald raised a point she was curious on, and one of them would explain it. During the story, Cinder referred to Yang only as 'dhampir', which made Yang clear on two things: Cinder had no idea who she was, and absolutely did not care about her being a dhampir at the moment. 

In the end, Cinder leaned back, clasping her hands together. "So. Did your mother happen to say anything about this artifact...Yang, was it?"

 _Yeah, she definitely didn't know my name,_ Yang thought. She nodded. "It's Yang, and no. All she said was it could match your power."

Cinder didn't say anything for a long time. Then, she let out a low whimper. "How am I supposed to fight her?" she asked quietly. "I--I can't! I couldn't even take her by herself!"

Yang shared a look with Weiss. "Can't you summon Grimm to outnumber her?" Weiss asked. 

"I can't control them," Cinder said, rubbing her head. "That's what happened to Mountain Glenn! I lost control, and--and they died because of it!"

"Cinder's predecessor died from an arrow wound," Emerald said. "Cinder barely knows how to use most of her magic, and never figured out how to control the Grimm."

"Her training wasn't completed," the man on Cinder's left said. "She has some basic combat training from Summer, but--"

Lightning cracked. Everyone looked up in surprise. Weiss got up, looking out one of the windows. A massive layer of rock shot across the ground, and a small group of people jumped off, just barely visible from this height. Several boulders smashed through nearby windows, and Weiss jumped down as one shot over her head. 

"Blake," Yang said. Cinder whimpered again. 

"Journey's over," Nora said, pulling her weapon out. "No reason to stop now." Ren nodded, pulling out his own weapon. 

"Come on," Ruby said, paler than usual. "Let's do this."


	47. Last Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! I loved writing this fic, and I offer my deepest thanks to all of you who've read this to the end, and a special thanks to Alucard45 for your tips and advice with writing! Well wishes to you all, hope you enjoyed!

"Weiss?" 

"Yeah?"

"Even if it's not going to end well, I'm glad I decided to go with you," Yang said. Ruby nodded. "I'd never choose any other path," she testified. 

"I just wish we'd been able to do...anything, really," Nora said. 

Cinder lead the path to the double doors at the castle entrance, Emerald and the man she'd called "Mercury" at her sides. She gulped, shaking. Emerald put a hand on her shoulder, and Cinder sighed, relaxing. "I'm ready," she said. She'd put the bracelet back on, her appearance changing back to the illusion. Everyone gathered their weapons, and Cinder pushed open the doors. Weiss looked to Yang and Ruby, to Nora, Ren, and Neo, and then to Winter. All of them were with her at the end. 

Somehow, death didn't seem that bad, if it was with friends and family. 

Then she saw Blake. A small black orb covered in spines floated above her right shoulder, with multiple tendrils hooked into Blake's shoulders. Several more hung down loosely, and Blake was clearly in intense pain, breathing deeply. 

Cinder gave her a condescending look. "Is this what you have sunken to, child?"

"I am not your child," Blake spat. "My parents died because of your negligence. What do you have to say to yourself?"

"I don't have to defend myself to you," Cinder said firmly. "End this."

"I am ending this, Cinder," Blake spat. She lifted one hand--but stopped, sniffing the air. She turned as horses rode into view, closing in quickly. 

"Is that Qrow?" Weiss asked. Qrow, his four soldiers, and several other soldiers. 

And right beside Qrow, Pyrrha rode on her own horse. 

"Traitor," Blake hissed. 

"Can your soldiers fight off this many people?" Pyrrha asked. 

Jaune dropped his weapons, holding up his hands and falling to his knees. Half of the rest of her vampires either followed suit or actually moved to stand with Qrow or Salem, pointing their weapons at Blake. 

Blake was furious, red lightning crackling up her hands. "You...you cowards..."

"How many people need to die today?" Ruby asked. "Do you think you need to win that badly, Blake? Or don't you think you're parents want to rest in peace?"

Blake froze, glaring Ruby down for a long time. Finally, the tendrils on the strange orb snapped out of her shoulder. She picked it up, shuddering and setting it in a wooden chest and sliding it towards Cinder. She dropped her sword, and fell to her knees, hands in the air, head down. 

Only those immediately close to Cinder heard the sigh of relief she let out. "We've won," she whispered. Aloud, she said, "Lock Blake up. The rest of you, come in. We need to talk."

"Young Pyrrha was the one to mention this whole plot thing," Qrow said. "Once she said this, we began riding towards here immediately."

Something didn't quite settle in Yang's head about that. 

"We can't really hold those twenty new vampires responsible for anything they did," Cinder said, with the illusion active. "I have Mercury and Tyrian dealing with them. Some will go home, some stay here."

"I...have a request," Pyrrha said. 

Cinder eyed her. "You can consider yourself forgiven and then some, child, but before I bind myself to anything, tell me what this 'request' is."

"I want you to spare Blake."

Cinder burst into laughter, rolling her head back. The laugh echoed around the room, playing over and over again in everyone's ears. "Child, at this point, killing her might be more merciful than letting her live," she stated. "In addition to the fact that she almost just toppled the hard won peace, and ruin everyone's lives out of some pointless quest for vengeance."

"She needs help," Yang stated. 

"At max, I can only keep her alive for one more month," Pyrrha said, bowing her head. "Please let her have that."

"Kill her, and she becomes a martyr." Summer's voice rang out. She strode into the hall, cane tapping and Taiyang right beside her. Qrow backed off several steps, actually trying to hide behind Velvet. "On top of that, the day I met Tai, he told me to be the bigger man. If I hadn't spared Qrow that day, he wouldn't have shown up to rescue you. That being said..." She whipped her cane out, flipping Qrow upside down and having him land on his back. "I don't consider myself to be that big," Summer finished, smiling as she took a seat. 

"...Fine," Cinder said, sounding angry but clearly willing to go with whatever Summer said. 

"Mom!" Ruby cried, jumping into Summer's arms and throwing her arms around the master vampire's shoulders. Summer grinned, then said, "Weiss, Yang. Git over here." She pulled the three of them into a hug, tightening around them. She looked over the rest of them, smiling. "My, your group certainly grew. I don't even know all their names!"

Qrow stood up, rubbing his head. "Before I go," he said. "Yang...you're Raven's kid, right?"

"You know her?" Yang asked, surprised. 

"We're friends," Qrow said. "But oi, do I see her in you."

"Thankfully, not _all_ of her," Taiyang laughed. 

Qrow grinned at that, then, true to his word, strode from the room. 

"Meanwhile," Summer said, jumping to her feet. She threw one arm around Winter, and the other around Neo. "Tell me about your journey. I can't wait to hear everything!"

"Sir...?" Velvet asked. 

"What?" Qrow asked. He pulled out his flask of drink, then, after a moment's consideration, returned it to his jacket. 

"Why didn't you tell Yang you're her uncle?" Velvet asked. "I don't understand."

"She's got enough family without having to worry herself about me," Qrow said, exiting the palace and jumping onto his horse. "Now, come on. I want to be at our own capital in time for Pipsqueak's coronation."

"That's...not how one should address the king, first and foremost," Coco pointed out. "Second, shouldn't we...have mentioned King Ozpin's death to Queen Salem?"

"I...feel like Oscar wants to handle that in his own time," Velvet replied. 

Pyrrha descended into the dungeon, knowing the path to where she needed to go. The guard nodded to her, and left when Pyrrha said, "Give us some privacy."

All in all, the cell didn't look half bad. A cushioned bed, private bathroom, and even a tea table with a decent sized chair. Blake didn't have her bow on, so Pyrrha was fully able to see her two, scarred cat ears atop her head. 

Pyrrha kneeled in front of the cell, sitting on her knees. "Blake," she said. "I know you're mad at me, but--"

"I'm not mad at you, Pyrrha," Blake said, turning to face her student. She moved over to the bars, on one knee to be level with Pyrrha. "I was once told that any teacher's goal should be to have their student end up better than them. I wanted you to rule, to make the world a better place for us and our kind. If this is how your judgement falls, I am acceptant of it. Disappointed, but acceptant." She reached through the bars, grabbing Pyrrha's hand in her own. 

Pyrrha smiled, reaching through the bars to hug her teacher. "You had the right idea, just the wrong way," Pyrrha told her. 

**Two weeks later....**

Yang stopped in front of the woods, meeting Vernal's eyes. Vernal nodded towards the forest, leading the way to the camp. "Make sure to put a good word with the boss for me," she said with a wink, stopping outside Raven's tent. 

Yang chuckled. "I'll do that." She stepped into the tent, sitting on the floor in front of Raven. "Hello, Mother."

"Hello, daughter," Raven said, smiling at Yang, clearly amused. "You finished your mission."

"Yeah," Yang said with a nod. "And Vernal wanted me to put in a good word for her."

"Did she now?" Raven said with a laugh. "Alright. I'll remember that. So. What do you want to do first?"

"The book on dhampir powers," Yang asked curiously. "Do you still have it?"

Raven smiled, taking a faded, gray leather book out of the chest she kept her mask on. She slid it across the table to Yang. "Ready to find out what you can do?"

Yang met her mother's eyes, and two pairs of crimson eyes met each other as Yang grinned. "You bet."


End file.
